Flowers in the Desert
by Master Hiruka
Summary: With the Fourth Great Shinobi War approaching the Five Nations are on the edge. Despite the threat of the Sharingan looming over them will the Kazekage succeed in achieving true love? GaaxSaku. NaruxHina.
1. Prologue: Shinobi World War Begins

Chapter One : Prologue – The Fourth Great Shinobi World War

"Greetings to all Kage present here" echoed the voice of the General Mifune, leader of the Samurai of Iron country.

In a large room made with vast walls and a blinding lamp hanging from the ceiling sat the leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. The center of the room held an elliptically shaped table above which five curtains holding the kanji for '_Hi_', '_Kaze_', '_Mizu_', '_Tsuchi_' and '_Rai_'. Beneath each curtain sat the Kage of the respective village with the ambassador and representative of their village behind them. At the curve of the table was a smaller separate table on which sat Mifune, the Host and Moderator of the meeting.

"Firstly I would like to welcome back the Godaime Hokage Tsunade-Hime. I'm sure we are all relieved that you have been reinstated back to your position" said Mifune politely as Tsunade sitting beneath the Fire insignia gave him an acknowledging nod. Behind her Shikaku Nara, the ambassador smirked to himself. Despite just having woken up from a chakra-exhaustaion induced coma a few days ago the Legendary Sucker was back to her old fiery self. A few lines under her eyes and slightly slow movements were the only indicators of her ailment.

"I too am glad that I was reinstated before Danzou wreaked too much damage. I hear from my sources that he manipulated you using the sharingan, a thousand apologies for that Mifune-Dono" said Tsunade as Mifune held up a hand.

"Please Tsunade-hime, do not apologize on behalf of him. I assure you I hold no hostility for that rather humiliating incident" replied Mifune sheepishly as Tsunade smiled in relief. She had been worried that the Moderator would be annoyed at being manipulated but was thankful for the old man's easygoing manner.

"While we're on the topic I was wondering if your re-installation was permanent or is it only till you can find a suitable replacement Tsunade?" asked the Tsuchikage, Onoki. A tiny old man with an peculiarly triangular beard and angular mustaches. The top of his head was bald however white hair tied in a Chinese knot flowed down his back. One of his most noticeable features was his heavily bulbous and wart-filled nose. His eyes held a perpetual disapproving and distrustful look.

"I mean to say you were pretty badly struck during Akatsuki's attack on you" said Onoki, "And you are not getting any younger. Therefore I was wondering.."

"Please Tsuchikage, you are the last person I'd like to hear about old age from" replied Tsunade curtly as the old man went a fiery shade of scarlet.

"I for one am relieved that you have returned Tsunade-Sama. It is good to have someone trustworthy by our side again" came a voice from across the table. Tsunade sent a grateful smile towards the Mizukage, a woman in her early thirties. Her long red hair was tied up in a herringbone pattern and a topknot tied with a blue band with four bangs falling over her emerald eyes. She wore a knee length blue dress with a fishnet suit beneath.

"Can we skip the pleasantries and get ahead with the meeting now" yelled a gravelly yet fearful voice from the other end of the table. Tsunade's first impression of the Raikage had been a overly buffed up gorilla with hunks of muscle sticking out here and there. Upon closer inspection her was a dark-skinned and heavily muscled man with slicked back yellowish-white hair with a small moustache and beard. His had very prominent cheekbones which further enhanced his animalistic appearance.

"Yes of course. Thank you for your patience Raikage-Sama" muttered Mifune dryly fully aware that the Lightning Leader had the patience span of a child.

"I would just like to go over the details of our last meetings and inform the Hokage of the decisions we have taken" said Mifune as A, the Raikage rolled his eyes and sat back.

"Before we were interrupted by Sasuke Uchiha at our last meeting we were discussing who was to be the Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces and...yes, Kazekage-Sama? Do you have a question?" asked Mifune as Gaara raised a hand.

"I merely wished to inquire as to whether all my fellow Kages are fine with the idea of an Allied Force. I ask this because if we are not sure at this juncture it will lead to problems in the future."

"Do not take us for fickle-minded pansies, Kazekage. Speaking for myself I am quite fine with this idea. Combining our military and intelligence forces would increase our power five times over, six if we count the Samurai" replied the Raikage with an annoyed look on his face.

"I too think that the only way we can win this war would be to unite as a common force not as five different powers that would be taken down easily one by one." said Mei Terumi.

"I agree, Madara Uchiha is a fearsome opponent and now that we have to deal with him as well as Sasuke I think our alliance is a very good idea. I have always supported the thought of a worldwide alliance, and I am glad that at least one good thing has been brought about by this war" said Tsunade calmly.

All eyes then fell on the Tsuchikage, "What? I already told you I'm fine with it at the last meeting." he said defensively as a ghost of a smile appeared on Gaara's lips seeing the proud old man backed into a corner.

"Thank you, I apologize for interrupting" said Gaara humbly as Mifune nodded.

"Now, as I was saying for the Leader I believe that Kumogakure, having the best military structure, would prove an ideal place to set up headquarters. Sunagakure is too inconveniently situated, Kirigakure is easily accessible for enemies, Konohagakure would be good but they are still recovering from the brunt of Akatsuki's attack and Iwagakure is too far away. Therefore with your consent I would like to name the Raikage as the Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces" ended Mifune carefully observing the four other Kages for their reaction.

"I agree, the Raikage will be suitable" said Mei Terumi breaking the silence in the hall.

"As long as he keeps his temper I'm sure you'll be a suitable commander, Raikage-Sama" said Gaara in his low tone. One got the impression he was rather relieved that the Tsuchikage hadn't been selected.

"I'm fine with it as well. The Raikage has a lot of military expertise and I'm sure will be a capable leader" said Tsunade diplomatically.

Once more all eyes fell upon the oldest in the room. "I'm really getting tired of this. I've known that squirt since he was knee high to me. I suppose he would do a good enough job, but the responsibility is vast therefore there is no room for errors" said Onoki as the Raikage stood up.

Clearing his throat he spoke in his gravelly voice, "Thank you for selecting me. I'll do my best to lead the Allied Shinobi Forces. And I can assure you Tsuchikage, I am not in the habit of making childish mistakes"

"Well as the new leader I think I have a suitable hiding place for the two remaining jinchuriki" said the Raikage, "There is an island..."

"Just a minute. We are going to hide the jinchuriki?" asked Tsunade enraged as the Raikage replied with surprising calmness.

"I'm afraid so. We have decided for their safety as well as ours we should keep them hidden away for the duration of the war"

"That's ridiculous. I don't know about your brother Raikage-Sama but I'm sure Naruto would insist on fighting in this war and I agree. They shouldn't be kept caged like some precious tools for war. I vote that they should..."

"That decision is not yours to make Godaime Hokage-Sama" said Gaara sternly, "It was collectively decided at the previous meeting and while it's unfortunate that you protest, it's a vote of five against one. Please behave with more consideration"

"Why you little punk..." began Tsunade pushing her chair back as Mifune stood up with an air of pouring cold water over a heated situation. His sharp eyes noted that the Kazekage's knuckles whitened as he gripped the table in anger.

"Now, now Hokage-Sama, please do not be so brash. What the Raikage and Kazekage say is neither incorrect nor unreasonable. In times of war what if we lose even one of the jinchuriki to Madara? At the last meeting he mocked us saying he could carry out his Eye of Moon Plan with seven alone. If either the Hachibi or the Kyubi should fall into his hands it would all be over"

"Being cautious never hurts Tsunade-Sama" said the Mizukage quietly as Tsunade sat down reluctantly.

"Very well. I apologize for my outburst," she murmured as the Raikage stood once more, "I understand your sentiments, this is my own brother we are talking of, I would never do anything that would compromise his safety. And Uzumaki Naruto is just as important at this juncture because in the past Madara has shown preference to using the Kyubi"

"Now as I was saying, there is an island off Kumogakure that would be the perfect place for hiding the two remaining jinchuriki" said A as Onoki scoffed.

"And just why would this island be so safe?"

The Raikage smirked, "Very simple, because it's a moving island"

"A what?" exclaimed the Mizukage as A's smirk became more pronounced.

"The island is actually a giant turtle. That ancient turtle has existed in Kumogakure for centuries. It's larger than an average sized town. There are a host of other animals living on it. My brother is familiar with it because that was where he learnt how to control his bijuu. The island floats from one place to another as the turtle swims here and there. We could send a few elite of our forces there to guard them in the unlikely situation that Madara does manage to find the island"

"An island that is actually a giant turtle" said Mifune disbelievingly, "Are...are you absolutely certain that it would be safe?"

"I should think so. In addition to it's constant movement the turtle emits a deep mist around it that leads of any pursuers. The mist blocks out chakra signatures. Nobody but the very best of sensory ninjas would be able to sense anybody within the turtle" said A.

"But where will the turtle float? For all we know it may float into Madara's hideout" said Onoki sceptically.

"There shouldn't be a problem there, the Land of Lightning borders the Torigami Ocean. It's the largest ocean in the shinobi world. There should be plenty of place for the island to move" said Mei Terumi.

"Okay, accepting that we do keep the jinchuriki confined in there. If they are attacked won't they be in an extremely vulnerable position?" asked Tsunade.

"Not at all, the Hachibi is very accustomed to fighting in deep waters. Bee would have an advantage in the water. As for the Kyubi, I'm sure it's more than capable of adapting itself" said A.

Silence reigned over the hall as the six leaders pondered over their thoughts. Finally after five minutes Mifune spoke up, "Very well then, anybody still against placing the jinchuriki on the Island Turtle, please speak up now"

When nobody spoke Mifune spoke again, "Very well it's decided then, we shall have the two jinchuriki transported to the Island at the soonest possible time"

"The next matter we have to decide is rather taxing. The Fate of Sasuke Uchiha" said Raikage firmly as Tsunade tensed up.

"At the previous meeting Danzou agreed to name him an S-Rank Criminal, however we have decided not to take his decision without your permission first Hokage-Sama" said Gaara carefully watching the Sannin's reaction.

"Are you still willing to defend him Tsunade? Even after he had the gall and cheek to attempt an assassination on the Five Kage by himself and his bunch of thugs? If that Madara hadn't got in the way I would have gladly turned him to dust. Before his attack I had nothing personally against him except that his existence was a great threat to us but after the way he humiliated the Five Nations at the previous summit I am furious" said Onoki.

"I too think keeping him alive has no objective. Unless Konoha craves the sharingan _that_ much?" said the Raikage as Tsunade shot him a reproachful look.

"I can assure you Raikage-Sama, continuing the Uchiha bloodline is the last thing on my mind. Sasuke was a valuable and loyal shinobi of Konoha. And while I can't ask you to excuse his actions I also hope you would show some leniency over your decision for his fate" said Tsunade.

"I too support what the Hokage says, "However I would like to point out that Sasuke is far gone into the darkness and I believe he can still be salvaged" said Gaara.

"Oh? And who will perform that salvaging? You or you Hokage?" sneered Onoki as Gaara and Tsunade both shared a knowing smile.

"Both the Kazekage and I have our faith on a certain someone. I'm sure that he's the only person who can reach out to Sasuke at this point. I beg you to please let him at least have a chance at getting to Sasuke" said Tsunade.

"Could this person you speak of possibly be the Kyubi jinchuriki?" asked the Raikage as Tsunade stared at him.

"Well yes, I didn't know you knew him by sight" she replied.

"He came to me before the previous meeting, to beg for Uchiha's life. His dedication to his friend was admirable. But back then I was under the impression Uchiha was responsible for the death of my brother so I was in no mood to be obliging" said the Raikage thoughtfully.

"And now?" asked Gaara tentatively.

The Tsuchikage and Raikage exchanged looks. The Mizukage seemed lost in thought. Mifune seemed uninterested yet Tsunade knew that was merely a farce he was expected to hold as Moderator.

Finally after a long and uncomfortable silence Mifune cleared his throat. "Very well, we'll call votes in this as well. Those in favor of giving Sasuke Uchiha a chance please raise your hands"

Tsunade and Gaara raised their hands almost at once. Tsunade stared in despair at the other three Kages, mostly at the Mizukage whom she hoped would be the most easy-going amongst the three other Kages. Surprisingly the third to raise his hand was the Tsuchikage.

"I'm not saying I'm going to give him a complete pardon. Sasuke Uchiha will never be welcome in Iwagakure but I suppose I could give him a chance" said Onoki.

"I too would like it if Sasuke did not enter Kirigakure. Intentional or not he seems to leave a bloody trail behind him. However I am for giving him another chance" said Mei raising her hand slowly.

"Oh fine, but mind you, he's not just banned from Kumogakure but the entire Lightning Country in my case. My left shoulder still hurts like hell" said the Raikage.

"Very well then shall I take the verdict to be this, Uchiha Sasuke is prohibited from setting foot on Iwagakure, Kirigakure and the Lightning Country and he will be given another chance at changing sides. However as a part of this alliance I should also like to make a suggestion," said Mifune as the Five Kage stared at him in surprise.

"Fighting for Madara if he kills too many of our shinobi I should think he is undeserving of our lenience. I have nothing against him personally except that he has killed fifteen of my samurai and injured a good twenty more during his attack last time, I don't think he should be completely pardoned yet" said Mifune calmly.

The Raikage raised a beefy hand, "I sympathize with you Mifune-dono, I think we should first focus on capturing the brat, then we can decide exactly what to and not to do to him" said A as Mifune bowed in consent.

The atmosphere in the room became less tensed as the subject of Sasuke was passed over.

"Our next and final topic of discussion for the day is the location of the hideout of Madara" said Mifune.

"Our combined shinobi intelligence forces have been working non-stop to secure a location. I have the results here" said Mei holding out a hand upon which Ao laid a manilla envelope. She slit the envelope open and withdrew a sheet.

"From what we can tell of the location of the various Akatsuki locations as well as various other leads we have from connections of Madara and from some of the files you so kindly sent us Hokage-Sama, we have his location pinned down to the northern parts of the Land of Rivers. The only Hidden Village in the Land of Rivers is Tanigakure, the country does not have an alliance with either Konoha or Suna despite the Lands of Fire and Wind bordering it on the east and west respectively. In fact we have very little info on the particular country. From our scouts we've gather information that the people of Tanigakure seem to be as normal as would appear. We don't know exactly where in the northern half his hideout is located" said Mei referring to the sheet every other second.

"If it borders both Fire and Wind country then it should be easy to access" said A.

"I'm afraid not, the northern section is barricaded from the Fire side by mountains which we can't cross with an army at this time of the year and on the Suna side..."

"Shinigami no Sabaku" muttered Gaara as the Mizukage nodded gravely.

"The treacherous desert situated at a great distance from any civilization. Even if a person starts from Sunagakure it is said they would die crossing halfway through." said Mei as Gaara nodded.

"Shinigami no Sabaku is uncrossable. Even we as Kage would perish if we foolishly attempted to cross it. It's filled with deadly patches of sand falls which suck you in before you can cry out. Not to mention a whole host of poisonous snakes, the air above it is so humid that direct exposure for more than five hours can prove fatal...painfully fatal" said Gaara morbidly as Tsunade winced.

"The northern border of the River Country is bordered by Amegakure. That's quite inaccessible as well. Even if we attack it together and take over Amegakure it would harm our shinobi forces and also give Madara a clear warning of our plans" said Mei.

"So the only option is approaching from south." said Onoki as Mei nodded.

"However we face the same problem as we did with Amegakure. If we approach from the south we have to cross Tanigakure. If they don't co-operate and a war breaks out. Tanigakure is unknown but by no means is it a defenseless village. If we start a war with it it's quite likely we would suffer consequences, and again the same problem, Madara would be warned and flee to Amegakure" said Mei.

"So it all comes down to Tanigakure co-operating with us" said A thoughtfully.

"I'm afraid so" said Mei.

"Fine then, we should send out a diplomatic treaty to Tanigakure at once" said Mifune as A nodded.

"Under the circumstances that seems to be the sensible plan of action. If we can get the co-operation of the leader or general or whoever is in-charge of Tanigakure then..."

"What about the Daimyo?" asked Onoki.

"Do not worry about that Tsuchikage-Sama, I know the man, I also happen to know a number of dirty deeds he's had hushed up. More than one in fact. If he protests I'm sure a little anonymous letter will persuade him to change his mind" said Tsunade grinning wickedly as A sent her a nod.

"Yosh, then we'll assemble an Allied Force Diplomatic team. I think at least one Kage should accompany them to enhance the fact about how important this is" said A as Gaara looked up.

"I can do that, it's on my way to Sunagakure anyways" he sad quietly as A nodded at him.

"Very well, let me recapitulate what we are tasked with doing. Tsuchikage-Sama you have no particular task at the resent. Raikage-Sama, you will be planning out battle strategies for upcoming battles. Mizukage-Sama please continue to collect Intel on Madara and any possible allies he may have acquired. Hokage-Sama, please keep your information on the River Daimyo ready in case we need them. Also please look into the Allied Shinobi Forces Medical Division and tell us if everything is in order. Kazekage-Sama, please put together a diplomatic party to the Commander of Tanigakure, your task is of utmost importance and urgency" said Mifune reading out from the scroll before him.

The Five Kage stood up.

"Thank you all for your co-operation today. May our objectives be met. Allied Shinobi Forces Summit Members: Dismissed!" cried out Mifune as the Kage bowed once and trooped out of the door.

As soon as they all left Mifune collapsed back on his chair.

"Rather a tiring bunch aren't they Taisho?" asked Mifune's chief bodyguard.

"Indeed, the Raikage is hot headed and so is the Hokage. The Mizukage is too easy going and eager to please everybody. The Tsuchikage is stubborn. Only the Kazekage seemed to uphold proper conduct" said Mifune rubbing the bridge of his nose, "And yet all of them are capable leaders, admired and respected by their shinobi. This Alliance is an historic event and I hope it's bonds are never torn"

* * *

><p>"Well that was exhausting" said Temari who had manged to remain silent throughout the duration of the meeting something which amazed Gaara to no end.<p>

"I must say I had fun when the Hokage called you a little punk" said Temari gleefully. Kankuro who was just entering the room heard her and yelled, "She called him a what?". Temari reeled off into a long tale of how the Hokage had yelled at him as Gaara sighed and moved over to the balcony. After the stress of the meeting he had been hoping for a more relaxed environment to let his mind at ease.

"...And then Mifune-San said..."

The slight throbbing in his head was something Gaara was quite used to. But it was a fact that ever since he had left for the Land of Iron his headaches had been more acute and painful than before. His vision had become blurry sometimes, something that had never happened to him before.

"...I know, isn't he just awful?"

Temari and Kankuro's voices were too high pitched. It hurt his head every time they screeched, yelled and laughed. His head had given a lurch when the Hokage had yelled at him as well. For one terrible moment he had thought he would faint but he'd managed to grip the table tight enough to keep him consious.

"_...But the Mizukage's not bad. Of course that fact she's smoking hot helps too..."_

Something was wrong. Kankuro's voice sounded so far away even though they were right behind him inside the room. The outside was raging with a blizzard yet Gaara's eyes stayed focused upon the silhouette of a dead tree stump faintly visible through the white sheets of snow.

"_Focus, focus, loosing consciousness is the last thing I need now. I have an important mission to carry out. The Allied Shinobi Force is depending on me to...get..."_

"Gaara?" "Yoohoo? Gaara?" "Oi, Gaara, you don't look too good, _daijoubu_?" "Hey, Gaara, what's wrong?"

"_...must...complete...mission...for...Shinobi...Allied"_ After that point Gaara's world went blank and the last thing he saw before oblivion was his sister's sandy hair and Kankuro's black robes.

* * *

><p>Far away in the humid northern plateau in the River Country the Mountain's Graveyard was a place filled with the bones of giant animals who had perished there for lack of food, loss of habitat and due to hunting. In front of a cave like structure formed out of these bones stood a man cloaked in Akatsuki garb with an orange swirly mask obscuring his face. A malevolent sharingan glared out from the one eye hole on the mask.<p>

"How is he coming along?" asked Madara Uchiha in his cold voice. The question was addressed to another who wore the Akatsuki robes. A large Venus flytrap grew on his head which was half white and half black.

"From what the red haired runt and our medics can tell us he has received irreplaceable damage to his eyes. However they're saying all damage to his eyes can be healed but his vision cannot be improved. Of course we have Itachi's eyes to replace him with, I've asked Kabuto to oversee the medics" said White Zetsu as Madara tensed at hearing the name of Orochimaru's previous subordinate.

"That pest Kabuto seems to have affected you quite adversely." muttered Black Zetsu.

"Knowledge and the power to execute that knowledge are a man's best weapons. And unfortunately that snake has both. He has deep knowledge of my plans, how to adversely affect them and ever since he has absorbed Orochimaru's cells he has become immensely powerful." said Madara quietly yet the anger was evident in his voice.

"Still I respect him for stirring up such a situation and for backing me into a corner. He is not one I would trust but he will have to do for now. Who knows, when the time comes this situation may even turn out to be to my advantage" spoke Madara more to himself than to Zetsu.

"And what of our developments in Tanigakure?" he asked suddenly as Zetsu gave a start.

"Oh that, well, I've sent a couple of my subordinates with our offer, but...they haven't returned" said Black Zetsu shamefacedly.

"We did try our best, really, we sent our best men with the most politely written letter" said White Zetsu.

"Well you probably won't see the letter or those men again. When Sasuke recovers send him to Tanigakure" said Madara sternly "Tell him after failing to capture the Hachibi, after failing to defeat and capture even one Kage I do not want anymore mess-ups from him. He is to go to Tanigakure and convince the Chief to co-operate with us whether they like it or not. That village makes me uneasy. Not only do I know very little about it but they also have a trained shinobi force as well"

"Very well, it shall be done" said Black Zetsu before they sank back into the ground leaving the Uchiha to his own thoughts.

* * *

><p>Strawberries. The first think that crossed his mind was a field full of strawberries. Then his vision cleared. He was lying on a bed in a white starched room. His nose told him of the smell of disinfectant. Although his sight was still blurry his could see a pink and red blob moving about here and there. As his eyesight adjusted to the room's light he saw more clearly what he had thought to be a pink and red blob was actually a woman, rather familiar, with a head full of ridiculously pink hair and a red outfit. She was humming to herself with her back turned to him. As she hummed her hips moved in sync. Averting his eyes in shame he glanced at the room which he took to be an infirmary.<p>

"Ah, you're awake" said the woman turning around. She had green eyes just like him. A friendly smile was plastered over her face. He suspected it was not genuine but let it go.

"_Yes of course, I know her. Naruto's other teammate. The one who saved Kankuro's life. Haruno Sakura if I'm not mistaken" _he thought to himself as she advanced to help him sit up.

"I do not need your help" he snapped as she placed a hand on his shoulder to help him up, "I am quite capable of lifting myself up"

"Yes of course Kazekage-Sama" she replied sweetly with an annoyed tone. He suspected she had been warned to be genial towards him. Probably Temari's doing.

"What happened to me?" he asked quietly.

"Well it would appear that you've had severe headache's for the past week or so, and judging from the spread of neurological activity taking place in the cerebral part of your brain I should say it's migraine" said Sakura, "Just answer these few questions, have you been having blurred visions, sharp headaches and a pulsating feeling in your temple?"

'Yes" replied Gaara sullenly, _"How degrading, the Kazekage suffering from migraine"_ he thought.

The girl seemed to guess what he was thinking because she smiled at him, "Don't worry, it can happen to anyone. I suspect it's because you are unused to the cold climate here in the Land of Iron having lived in the desert all your life"

The girl launched into a tale of how her shishou had once developed a splitting headache and destroyed half her office. He attempted to tune her out as he usually did when his sister or brother started jabbering next to him but for some reason his head wasn't as coordinated as it should have been.

"Do you always talk so much? It's annoying" he asked curtly unable to bear her chatter any longer as she stopped and smiled her fake smile once more but he could see her eyebrows twitching in rage and her hands gripping the sheets of his bed tightly.

"So sorry" she said with unrestrained sarcasm, "I would have thought that you'd enjoy a little company and cheering up after _fainting_ but I guess I was wrong" she said as she rose.

Gaara grabbed her hand tightly and glared at her, "I did not _faint_ woman, do not even attempt to insinuate that I did" he said in a deadly tone.

"Let go of my hand you brute, you're hurting me" replied Sakura trying to twist her hand out of the Kazekage's iron grip.

Just then the door slid open and Temari poked her head in. She did not seem surprised to see Gaara gripping the medic's hand tightly glaring at her. Sighing audibly she entered as Gaara released Sakura's hand with a thrust and turned away.

"I'm sorry Sakura-San, my brother is stubborn sometimes" she said in an apologetic tone as the rosette nursed her hand and raised the other one, "Oh no, please don't worry, I have great experience dealing with _frail patients who're stubborn as mules_" she said loudly as Temari glanced at her brother to see his reaction.

To the ordinary person he would appear unaffected but Temari saw the familiar narrowing of eyes and tightening of mouth.

"Is everything all right now?" she asked at an attempt to break up the tension.

"Oh yes, it was just migraine, quite a big one but nothing I can't handle. I've administered the medicine and he should be recovering well and with proper supervising he should be back to 100% in a few days" said Sakura slipping into her 'medic mode' again.

"How soon will he recover? He has a mission to the River Country soon" said Temari anxiously as Gaara turned his head back at her, "I am quite all right, there's no need for the mission to be affected, the last thing I want is the compromising of such an important mission"

"It should be okay but I'm not sure traveling such a long distance would be advisable in such a condition. If there's a relapse..."

"Listen woman, I know my body better than you and there will be no other problems. I shall go to River Country and that is final. If you attempt to stop me I shall speak to the Hokage about your conduct" he said coldly as Temari took a step away.

"Gaara!" she scolded, "What's come over you. Sakura-San is just trying to help you"

Gaara turned away again, "I do not need her help" he said just as his head gave a tiny lurch again. Seeing the slight stagger in his composure Temari glanced uneasily at Sakura once.

"With all due respect Kazekage I think I would understand the mechanics of a body better than you, as for speaking with the Hokage, do so by all means. But you forget Tsunade-Sama is a medic like myself, you may place me as a mere nuisance but my duty remains nevertheless to ensure your health" said Sakura with all the dignity she could muster.

"I believe this problem can be solved very easily" came a voice from the door.

"Mifune-Dono" said Temari stepping aside for the samurai leader to step through. Mifune bowed politely to Temari before turning to Gaara.

"Why not have Haruno-San with you on the mission to Tanigakure. Every team requires a medic and god forbid if there's a relapse or you get attacked then her skills would be very useful indeed" said Mifune as Temari brightened up.

"Of course, is that okay with you Sakura-San?" she asked beseechingly.

"Well I..."

"There is no need for this woman to accompany me Mifune-Dono, I assure you I am perfectly all right now" said Gaara mutinously.

"It's completely all right with me" said Sakura clearly as Gaara turned his green eyes to glare at her which she returned with a triumphant smirk.

"Very well then..."

"Stop, I am the leader of this mission and I do not need a..."

"Gaara" said Temari sternly as Gaara turned his glare on her. "Gaara Onii-San!" she said even more sternly.

"I tell you..."

"Onii-San!"

Gaara sighed. There was no arguing with Temari when she played her 'Onii-San' card on both him and Kankuro.

"Very well" he muttered quietly as Temari's face lightened up again. "Good, I'll speak with Tsunade-Sama about this" she said before leaving.

Mifune bowed again and with a bid to keep him in good health he left as well leaving the medic and her patient alone.

"You accepted just to bother me further" said Gaara darkly as Sakura sent him a cheeky grin, "Now what gave you that impression?" she asked in feigned innocence.

"You'll regret this, woman"

* * *

><p>So you guys might not know the underlined words so i'll just clear that up now.<p>

Torigami - God of Bird

Shinigami no Sabaku - Desert of the Death God

Daijoubu - 'Are you all right?'

Onii-San - A formal way of say 'Brother'

Now this should be a long chapter. Hope you guys liked it. If you did you know what to do 'Hint' 'Hint' 'Wink' 'Wink'. See you all next time.


	2. Tanigakure Arc: Doubt and Trust

A big thank you to **catxangel, Mei-fa Chan, crystalvenom20 and hyuugahinata247** for their reviews! You guys are the best.

Chapter 2 **Tanigakure Arc****: ****The Journey Begins**

Gaara's jade eyes swept over the five shinobi before him. These were shinobi that Mifune and the Raikage had decided would accompany him on his diplomatic mission to Tanigakure.

From the left stood Hatake Kakashi slouched against the wall with a bored look in his one eye. Personally Gaara was pleased that Hatake had been chosen for here was someone he could depend on almost as much as Naruto.

Beside him stood Temari looking very small without her usual huge fan behind her. The fan,now summoned using a scroll was kept away to increase mobility. Gaara would have preferred she not go on this mission but being a foreign ambassador herself she knew the how-to's of diplomacy better than him.

Shikamaru Nara stood by Kakashi feeling quite distraught at the prospect of having to travel such a long distance. Gaara suspected it was also because the journey had to be made in the company of his sister. But the fact remained that he was one of the best strategists of the Five Nations.

Next to Temari stood the blond haired sensory shinobi from Kumogakure, Shi. The Raikage had been all praise for his abilities saying he was by far the best sensory type in Kumogakure in addition to being a competent genjutsu user/disperser as well as a medical ninja.

Speaking of medical ninja.

Gaara's eyes finally moved to the fifth shinobi in his delegation. That infuriating woman who had taken advantage of his minor ailment to force herself onto this extremely important mission. He was very annoyed with this choice. She spoke too much, she worried unnecessarily, she didn't look very strong going by her docile looks, her pink hair was distracting and most of all she did not fear him in the least.

_"Nevertheless I shall have to do my best to endure her for this mission"_ thought Gaara turning his attention back to the map of the shinobi world that lay sprawled across the table in front of him. There were two routes to take. One would take them through the land of fire all the way. _"Decidedly safer"_ thought Gaara as he moved his eyes to the second route which would take them through through Takigakure and Kusagakure. _"The route through Takigakure is much faster. However we're not allied with either Taki or Kusagakure. From what the Hokage tells me they have friendly relations with Takigakure but the problem lay with Kusagakure who were supporters of Orochimaru"_ thought Gaara intently.

"Our priority is to get the mission done safely and as fast as possible" muttered Gaara, "So that means we should probably take the second route. We would reach Tanigakure at least three days earlier. However taking into consideration that we may be attacked at Kusagakure...".

After contemplating over the decision for a long time the Kazekage decided to go with his original decision of taking the Taki-Kusa Route. When he informed the rest of the group objections were raised by the last person he wanted to argue with: his sister.

"That path's too dangerous. Takigakure has unknown loyalties. Kusagakure is very hostile towards both Konoha and Suna. What if we're attacked on enemy territory?" argued Temari.

"I have spoken with the Hokage. She assures me we should be facing no problems in Takigakure. They have very friendly relations with Konoha. As for Kusagakure I'm sure we can make it through stealthily enough. They need not know anything. If we are attacked we have a Kage and five Jounin level ninja from amongst which two are medical ninja" said Gaara as Shi and Sakura bowed. He thought he saw a smirk on the woman's face but she was bowing so he couldn't see it anymore.

"But..."

"Rest assured Temari the route will be safe enough. Our priority is to get to Tanigakure and ensure their alliance and cooperation as soon as possible"

Temari backed down but her mutinous stares did not end there. When Gaara merely gave her an indifferent look she turned to vent her frustration on the unfortunate Nara.

"We will be leaving in an hour or two. Please make sure you all have the necessary supplies and provisions because we won't be making many stops. Also if you wish to speak with your Kages now then please do so because there will be practically no communication between us and headquarters during the mission" said Gaara loudly as the five before him bowed and marched out.

Gaara himself had no provisions to take because he ate very little and did not sleep at night. He remembered all those lonely nights he had spent in the prison of a bedroom with only a bowl of soup and a jug of water to keep him alive. The night often went by staring at the moon or the stars or with only thoughts. After the Shukaku's blood lust took over he would only think about people to kill. Beginning with his father. He had wanted to kill him so badly but for some reason his sand had never managed to attack the Fourth Kazekage properly. Maybe it was because...

"Kazekage-Sama" came a voice as Gaara's thought process came to a halt. Lifting his eyes up he groaned mentally as Sakura stood beside him holding a long list.

"What?" he asked curtly as Sakura sighed. "Are you still angry about that? I told you it's for your own good if i accompany you on the mission"

Gaara ignored her and merely got up. Sakura gulped a little, he was a good bit taller than her and glared down at her with his eyes.

"If there is something important you want to say then say it or stop wasting my time" he replied before turning away.

Sakura sighed once more before grabbing his hand and slamming the long list onto his palm. "These are all the medicines I will require to keep you diagnosed. I spoke to Temari-San she said you'd have to help me determine exactly which ones we'll need." said Sakura, "But you don't really have to, just give me a written authorization so that I may be able to enter the medical ward and you can be on your way"

"Much as that offer is tempting I will have to cooperate with you" Said Gaara feeling exasperated. _"Temari's upset enough over the route as it is, if she finds out about this I'll have to endure screaming all the way. And if the Nara passes out then the brunt of it comes onto me"_ he thought running his eye over the list.

He walked out of the room with Sakura in close pursuit. She seemed less lively than before, _"Probably worrying about the mission"_ thought Gaara as they arrived at the medical ward. Two samurai were guarding the door. They bowed low as Gaara approached them.

"Good morning Kazekage-Sama, would you be wishing to enter the medical ward?" they asked in chorus as Gaara nodded. As he passed them the guards sent suspicious glances at Sakura. It was a known fact that samurai were very mistrustful of shinobi.

"It's all right, she's with me" said Gaara in his low voice as the two samurai exchanged glances and bowed again, this time allowing Sakura to pass through.

After they got into the ward Sakura burst out into angry tirades, "It's not fair, how come you get to enter with no problems while I, the medic, whose business is to be here, has to receive permission?" she asked.

"Perhaps you should work on increasing your rank then" said Gaara settling down on the chair in the darkest corner of the room as Sakura began rummaging through various shelves and cupboards, "With greater power comes greater rank and therefore greater respect. If you complain about not being shown respect then perhaps you should stop a few minutes and take a look at yourself first"

Sakura stopped rummaging around with the bottles and without turning spoke, "So what you're saying is I'm weak at the moment?"

Gaara was struck by the change in her tone but remained unperturbed, "I did not say that. I am in no position to evaluate your strength because you are a medical ninja..."

"Who happens to have saved your brother's life and thanks to whom you're going on this mission in a fairly healthy condition! The least you can do is show some gratitude!" said Sakura loudly turning around. Her emerald eyes were ablaze with anger and at this moment Gaara appreciated that despite appearance differences how alike she was to her mentor.

Gaara contemplated her furious face for so long that the anger faded a little and apprehension took it's place. _"Perhaps she's realized she's alone in a room with a former homicidal maniac"_ thought Gaara as she turned away again. As she began rummaging the bottles again Gaara turned his attention to her hair. Amongst all the people he had seen in his life never had he seen anyone with this shade. It was a bright bubblegum pink cut to the shoulders. When he had last seen her it had been spiky at the edges but now it was cut delicately brushing across her nape occasionally. Her overall appearance greatly suited her personality. _"Usually bright cheerful like her hair but when annoyed or angered, red like her outfit"_ thought Gaara as he quietly got up and stood behind her.

Minutes passed by as only the sound of bottles landing on the table or being placed back on the shelf should be heard. After fifteen minutes of silence Gaara began wishing he had not offended her. Despite his outward reactions he secretly always appreciated and enjoyed a little pleasant chatter. He'd been hearing was Temari's voice shouting at Kankuro (and vice versa) and the arguing of the remaining Kage.

"What is it you want me to do here?" he asked causing her to jump and turn around apprehensively clutching what Gaara realized was a bottle of poison.

"I...well have a seat and just answer a few more questions. Based on the answers I can determine more precise symptoms." she said uneasily, trying to step back.

"Did you not ask those questions already in the infirmary?" inquired Gaara sharply as Sakura shook her head.

"I need these answers to find out exactly which medicines I need to take with me, from those medicines I can brew up the concoction that will keep your migraine from resurfacing" replied Sakura gathering her composure again.

Gaara stared suspiciously at her for a moment before turning around and seating himself at his chair again. "Please hurry up with this, there's a lot I need to look into before we leave" he said with as much politeness he could muster.

"Of course, now, I've heard from Temari-San that you suffer trauma-induced insomnia. Could you tell me why that is?" asked Sakura as Gaara mentally cursed his sister.

"Is that relevant here?" he asked watching as Sakura's confident gaze cracked a little and she seemed almost sheepish as she replied, "It could be a reason for your migraine"

"That's rubbish, I haven't slept a wink since I was born. Why should it cause a migraine now of all times?" demanded Gaara as Sakura winced slightly. Gaara frowned, why should she be so hesitant at this juncture? Unless...

"You are keeping something back" he stated tonelessly as Sakura stared at him in shock.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked with an unconvincing act of confusion and innocence. However Gaara noticed that her brows were furrowed and her eyes were unfocussed. All the characteristics of one who has lied or is keeping back crucial information.

"I demand to know" he spoke with the authority he used on his own shinobi. The tone which could not be ignored. She averted her eyes and turned around before sighing in defeat, "I have orders not to tell you" she said quietly as Gaara strode forward as grabbed her shoulder before roughly turning her around.

"You will tell me what is it that you're hiding or else you will suffer my anger" he spoke with murder in his voice. "If it is Temari who had ordered you to remain silent then you may bypass her orders. I am her boss and a greater authority"

By the way Sakura's eyes flickered he realized he had hit the nail on the head.

"Very well Kazekage-Sama" she said resignedly as he released her shoulder and took one step back. Sakura however took two steps closer to him and pressed her hand to his forehead.

"What...what are you doing?" he asked feeling confused.

Sakura's soothing green chakra flowed from the palm of her hand into Gaara's forehead. For him it felt like an ordinary healing technique but something was wrong. A few parts of his body felt numb and his fingers felt as if he hadn't moved them in years. _"What...is going on here?"_ he thought as Sakura's chakra stopped flowing and she moved her hand away from him.

Gaara locked his green eyes with Sakura's silently demanding an explanation as Sakura spoke, "You have an extreme neurological condition. The body needs a certain amount of time in which it has to be completely inactive for it to restore physical and spiritual energy from which chakra can be produced. Now as you say you haven't ever slept since you were born so that rest period has been denied to your body. On top of that you've been constantly using chakra for various purposes. Therefore since you're constantly using chakra and not allowing it to refill that means a day would come when your chakra supplies would run out"

Gaara stared at her in shock, "What do you mean run out? I have plenty of chakra" he stated in a voice that differed from his usual indifferent tone.

"I'm getting to that. Because of the sealing of the Shukaku within you the rate of chakra depletion has slowed down considerably. But in addition to that your chakra system has mutated slightly" said Sakura as Gaara glared at her, "What do you mean mutated, speak clearly woman"

"You chakra continues to flow despite being constantly used. This should _not_ be happening. But the fact that it _is_ happening means your body is utilizing energy from other sources to make sure you keep up the usual level of chakra. And as a consequence to that your nervous system has been...to put it in layman's terms...severely messed up" said Sakura in a low voice as Gaara digested everything she had said so far.

"_My chakra...is mutated?" _he thought as a sinking feeling began enveloping him. "What's going to happen now" he said in a low voice turning away from the pink haired woman.

Sakura walked up to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, I..."

"Don't touch me!"

He did not intend to shout so harshly but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything just then. He just couldn't bear anybody looking at him now.

"Get...out!" he said slowly expecting the pinkette to begin arguing once more but to his surprise Sakura stared knowingly at him and bowed, "When you've calmed down, please send for me, I haven't finished telling you everything" she said quietly before retreating out of the room, closing the door with a slight click and leaving Gaara in damp room.

* * *

><p>"And how do you feel now Sasuke?" asked Kabuto running his hand down Sasuke's bare shoulder as Sasuke grabbed his scaly hand and thrust it away from him.<p>

"You do that again and you may find yourself with fewer fingers than you'd want" said Sasuke leaking killing intent.

"You always were one for the threats Sasuke-_Kun_" said Kabuto as his ran his slithery tongue over his lips. Ever since he had absorbed Orochimaru's cells he looked more and more like his dead master. His appearance had become immensely serpentine. He now wore a cloak and had a snake that peeped out from behind like a tail, "But that's what I liked about you...s_o feisty!_"

Sasuke, now with his eyes bandaged due to the operation of replacing his eyes with Itachi's could not see the feral grin on Kabuto's face but could very well imagine what he was doing.

"That's enough" said Madara entering the room in a new outfit. His mask had changed as well and now displayed a Mangekyou sharingan in both eyes.

"I take it your mission in Amegakure didn't go well?" asked Kabuto as Madara nodded. "It appears I made the mistake of underestimating Konan. She was very well prepared for my arrival and if I'd sent Zetsu or Sasuke as I'd originally intended to then they'd have been killed. The only problem is she destroyed the rinnegan in her battle with me. Mores the pity. It would have increased my powers a lot"

Personally Kabuto thought that this Konan woman had acted with great intelligence. _"After all if the rinnegan fell into his hands it would have been slightly problematic for me as well"_ he thought as he took a step away from Sasuke.

"How long do you think it will take for him to get used?" asked Madara as Kabuto turned to look at him. "Possibly a day or two. He could set out for Tanigakure the day after tomorrow" he replied before turning back to look at the teenager who lay quietly on the bed ignoring the others in the room.

"Now Sasuke, I know the leader of Tanigakure. He's a fool of the utmost degree. I trust you'll have no trouble in manipulating him?" asked Madara as Sasuke shook his head, "Good, and should he be stubborn kill him and claim the village. Also there is another thing I'd like you to look into, there is a treasure that the ruling clan of Tanigakure guard. Before you leave the village you must take it with you. Your Tsukuyomi will be sufficient for you to find out what it is. Do not, I repeat, do not come back without that treasure and with news of Tanigakure's dominance" said Madara turning tail and walking out of them room.

Silence reigned for a few moments before Kabuto turned back to Sasuke, 'So I guess it's just us now... _Sasuke-Kun_" he added.

"Shut the hell up"

* * *

><p>"Can I speak to you for a moment?" he asked hesitantly as Sakura, who was packing her bag for the trip turned to find the Kazekage standing just an inch outside her room's door. Feeling rather surprised that the Kazekage had turned up to speak to her she nodded. After leaving him she'd thought that there would be nothing that would make him come to her and that she'd have to look him up again later. But now here he stood, looking slightly ashamed as he hesitantly entered the room allotted to her.<p>

"Have you calmed down yet?" she asked with the air of a mother asking a child who'd just been crying. Gaara nodded and took one step closer, "I apologize for my behavior in the Medical Ward. It was unacceptable" he said quietly.

Sakura gave him a friendly smile, "That's all right. Anybody would have reacted violently after I told them that" she said as the Kazekage shook his head. " No, as a Kage I am expected to uphold dignity and not loose my composure"

"Well that's hardly fair" said Sakura indignantly. This seemed to amuse the red-head a lot for a slight smile appeared on his face.

"There are many things in life that are not fair. Nevertheless we have to do them." he said slightly bitterly as Sakura hurriedly changed the topic to keep up the Kazekage's unusually good mood.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked as Gaara looked up at her.

"You told me you hadn't finished telling me something. You can tell me now. And...if there's any remedy for my ailment, I'd like to know" he said quietly and Sakura gave him an understanding nod, guessing he was probably not used to asking favors.

"Well there is a cure. In fact Tsunade-Sama developed it herself" said Sakura, pride surging in her chest for her mentor, "But I'm afraid that cure takes a long time to work, so..."

"That won't be a problem...I'll do what I have to" said Gaara as Sakura nodded, "There is a potion which soothes the nervous system, if you keep taking it in constant amount for some time your condition will heal temporarily"

"But temporary is not what we're going for. What you really need is is a rest period. You just have to make up for those many years that you haven't slept. And the cure suggested to me by Tsunade-Sama is the Meditation Technique" said Sakura as Gaara narrowed his eyes.

"It's a technique developed long time ago, which puts a person into a deep trance. It's not sleep but it's sufficient for allowing chakra replenishing. Unfortunately the problem in your case in particular is that your sand acts as a defense mechanism for you that doesn't allow the technique to be tried on you" said Sakura as Gaara started, "You've tried it already?" he asked as Sakura nodded.

"When you were unconscious I tried but your sand got in the way. Temari-San said it was because you were unconscious but...I don't think so" said Sakura quietly as Gaara's eyes widened.

"Why? Why do you think so?" he asked as Sakura blushed a little, "I...I can't say for sure. You'll probably think I'm stupid but I can sense chakra...in a _different_ way." she said as Gaara looked confused.

"I've always been very sensitive to chakra. Ever since childhood I could sense a person's emotions in their chakra. Ino's was fun, outgoing and cheerful. Sasuke's was cold, dark but caring when he was still a genin. Naruto's was sunny, bright but with a lot of pain hidden away in it. And with yours," she paused then, "I'm a little reluctant to tell you but you'll make me anyways, your chakra infused sand...it was defensive, cautious, watching for danger every moment, ready to protect you if anything approached you" said Sakura feeling embarrassed speaking about it to the Kazekage.

"So what you're telling me...is that you can sense emotions in people's chakra?" asked Gaara incredulously.

"Only when they're very strong. When you were unconscious your body was obviously on red-alert mode since your mind was inactive and it made you vulnerable. That's why I could get a clear signal of what type of emotions ran through your chakra" said Sakura as Gaara gave her a deep look which caused her to blush.

"That...is an interesting ability"

"I think, the reason why your sand did not allow me to perform that jutsu on you...was because by nature you are not trustful of others" said Sakura. When Gaara did not reply she said, "For this treatment to be a success you'll need to have to trust me." she added earnestly as Gaara still did not reply.

"There is no reason for me to trust you" said Gaara as Sakura sighed, "I know, I'm probably nobody you'd care to trust but believe me when I say I'd really like to help you."

"Why is it that you want to help me? Because that's your order from Temari?" asked Gaara coldly as Sakura's eyes came up to him.

"I want to help you because you're Naruto's friend. Because you are someone he considers close to him, someone for whom he ran all the way from Konoha, fought with an Akatsuki member and gave up a lot of his chakra to bring back from life. Also..." she broke of there and looked down, the bangs of her hair casting a shadow over her eyes.

Gaara didn't like that. He liked looking at those jade eyes which always seemed alive with strong emotions. "Also?" he asked in a demanding tone.

"It's none of your business" she replied quietly as Gaara glared at her, "On the contrary it's completely my business, tell me why you want to help me"

Sakura remained silent, just when he thought he'd have to prompt again she spoke, "Your chakra...it's...well...lonely, in pain. As if it's been abandoned. Chakra have the user's emotions running through them and...well, I thought you needed someone you can trust"

Gaara's eyes widened. It was true. He had never had a friend. Naruto was the only friend he had. Temari and Kankuro were different. They had accepted him and he was happy about that. But that did not fill the void in his heart. But for fifteen years he had kept his loneliness, his urge to cry, his urge to scream in pain hidden. Shukaku had taken advantage of that pain and had driven him crazy with blood lust. The betrayals of his father and Yashamaru had contributed as well. But now, after fifteen years of hiding this pain so well, this girl from Konoha whom he only remembered having a silly crush on the Uchiha had come along and told him she knew of the void he'd protected so well. It baffled him to ends. And it also intrigued him.

"Do you always wish to help others like this?" he asked as Sakura shrugged. Once more there was an uncomfortable silence in the atmosphere.

"I do not trust easily" he said silently as Sakura looked up, immense joy spreading slowly over her face. "Well we'll just have to work on that won't we?" she said cheering up a little. Gaara turned his head to face her directly.

"Why should I trust you?" he asked as Sakura glared at him, "I've already told you a hundred times, because I'm trying to help you, help you to help yourself for that matter". Then her eyes softened and she held out her hand, "You don't have to trust me completely right now. We could be friends to start with" she added hopefully as Gaara turned his gaze down to the extended hand.

"I don't think I'd make a very good friend" he said in such a low voice that Sakura had to strain her ears to hear him.

"You won't know until you try right? So why not give it a go? Who knows? We might turn out to be fated pals!" she said cheerfully pushing her hand forward.

Gaara thought over it for a while before slowly lifting his hand. He brought his hand to hers and gently clasped her warm hand over his own cold ones. It felt nice, holding such warmth. It made him wonder if the rest of her was as warm.

"Great, we're friends now so you must call me Sakura" she said as Gaara looked taken aback, he had never called a woman by her name without a respectable suffix _(Temari being his sister did not count)_.

"No good? Okay fine at least call me something other than 'woman' or 'kunoichi'" she said smiling as he nodded.

"I...I suppose you may call me Gaara" he replied quietly feeling he should act friendly as well.

"Great, I will, Gaara-Kun" she said cheerfully. He liked the way his name sounded when she said it. The child in Gaara which usually lay weeping in the corner was whooping with joy. A feat that had only happened once in the past.

"Now that we're friend we'll have to work on slowly getting you to trust me. Don't worry Gaara-Kun, we can do it" she said patting his shoulders. What Sakura saw next was something very few people in existence had ever seen. A gentle smile on the red-head's face which lit up his entire visage.

"Arigato"

* * *

><p>Far away in an exquisite mansion a man in his early thirties sat an an ornately deigned throne with futons placed on either side like a throne room. He was lanky, with long legs and a skinny build with a toothbrush mustache and a tiny goatee. He wore an ornately deigned yukata and a silk shawl over it. Two maids in revealing kimono's stood beside him, one holding a tray of fruits and another playing the <span>shamisen<span> quietly. An older man sat on the nearest futon nodding his head to the tunes of the shamisen when suddenly the grand door opened and another man in a shinobi outfit with a black cloth tied around his face revealing only the nose and eyes entered.

The man on the throne looked down. "Ah, Ken'ichi, come in, come in. Stop playing you, get back to your quarters both of you" he ordered the maids who bowed and slunk away. "So, what news do you have for me today my messenger pigeon" he asked as the masked man got down on his knee.

"The Hokage is missing from Konoha. There is no news of the Kazekage in Suna either. My scouts are investing Kiri, Kumo and Iwa as we speak. I'm afraid something big is going on. You may wish to be careful Terada-_Heika. _I also think..."

"You fool, what do I care if the Hokage and Kazekage are off philandering somewhere. Don't disturb my free time with all this rubbish. If you've got some news of Reika then tell me otherwise get the hell out of here" yelled the man known as Terada who sat upon the throne.

"_All you ever do is increase your free time each day"_ thought the masked man mutinously as he bowed again, "I have no solid news of Reika-Sama except that a woman more or less fitting her description was seen somewhere near Kumo. Of course they're not sure but she did have pink hair"

"Have that woman brought to me at once. If it's not Reika I'll dump her in with the rest of our prisoners and if it is, you'll get a massive reward. Anything you ask for, money, power, treasure, woman, fame, I'll give it to you. Just make sure I get my Reika back" said Terada as the masked man bowed, "I shall not rest till we deliver her safely back to you _heika_"

As the masked man named Ken'ichi disappeared in a flash the older man who sat on the futon got up as well. "You would do well to abandon this foolish search for her, Morita" he said sternly as Morita Terada glared down.

"How dare you say that _Chichiue. _If anything it was your and _Hahaue's_ fault that she ran away from me. My precious Reika-Chan" he yelled putting his head in his hands with tears in his eyes.

The older man turned away in disgust walking down the throne room, before he opened the grand door, he turned his head and spoke coldly, "I did not fight with my life and capture Tanigakure for you to squander my efforts in search for that wench. Remember, you may be leader now but I still have authority in this administration. You think your soldiers follow you because they respect you? Don't make me laugh. Half of them follow you because you bribe them with woman and money and the other half because you've imprisoned the villagers as hostage. Don't loose yourself in your lust and infatuation for that witch, my son, that is all I can say to you now as your father. Anyways, I know I've made no impact so just stay safe while I go on my trip to Takigakure and keep a close eye on Shiki, that woman is too sly for you to outwit her" and saying so he left the room, shutting the door with a bang.

* * *

><p>And that's it for this chappie. I had a lot of trouble writing the scene between Gaara and Sakura. I really suck at writing those types of scenes. Please tell me if it got too cheesy or cliché and I'll try my best to fix it. I tried to express how Gaara's been lonely since childhood, hope I did it well. Again tell me if I didn't. For those of you who are confused about the last part don't worry. You'll understand soon enough. Thanks to all who've read so far. You can drop a review to tell me how you liked it. Until next time then folks. Sayonara.<p>

_Shamisen_ – A Japanese string instrument played with with a _bachi_ (plectrum)

_Heika_ – Your Majesty/ Other royal titles.

_Chichiue_ – A respectful way of saying Father.

_Hahaue_ – A respectful way of saying Mother.


	3. Tanigakure Arc: A Friendly Hug

Chapter Three **Tanigakure Arc: The Journey Begins**

Sakura stared at the back of her new friend whom she had shook hands with only yesterday. As soon as they had set out for Tanigakure he had reverted back to his aloof and detached attitude showing absolutely no sign of the events that took place in the medical ward and in her room. This feigned ignorance annoyed Sakura slightly but she gathered he didn't want the fact to come to light yet. Having worked with Tsunade on psychology she knew that many introverts like Gaara felt embarrassed and uncomfortable in admitting they had a friend or if they liked sometime and things like that. She had secretly observed all the introverts she knew, namely, Shino, Neji, Shikamaru, Sai _"Although in his case it had ended in complete disaster when Sai told me he knew she had been following him all along and had thought she was stalking him and wished to sleep with him"_ she thought sheepishly, _"He even asked me if I thought he was sexually attractive. What does that even mean?"_ She had also observed Hinata and Kakashi whom she viewed as 'semi-introverts'.

And now as she followed the Kazekage leaping through the trees _(while he traveled on his sand)_ she couldn't help wondering what was going on in his head.

Said Kazekage was at the moment debating on whether he'd made the correct desicion in agreeing to be a 'friend' to the pink haired woman. _"Would I be able to be a good friend?"_ was a thought that had often crossed his mind ever since they'd set out yesterday. His thoughts were suddenly broken when Kakashi's sharp voice broke his train of thoughts.

"Kazekage-Sama, we are approaching Takigakure. They've received the message from Tsunade-Sama requesting them not to hinder us so we shouldn't be facing any problems here, but..."

"Remain cautious all the same" said Gaara as Kakashi nodded.

"I think it goes without saying that we have to be cautious. Friendly or not Takigakure is not a trustable ally yet. Letting our guard down here would be foolishness." said Temari.

"Shi-San, perhaps it would be better for us if you scout out the area first" said Gaara quietly as the Kumogakure shinobi nodded and they all stopped.

Shi sat down on the ground and pressed the palm of one hand to the earth and raised the other hand in a hand seal. After that he seemed to go into a deep trance. Sakura glanced around at their surroundings. The climate here was almost the same as in Konoha. Warm with slight humidity. The foliage was very thick and luxuriant. The area probably received more than 300 cm rainfall every year. There was no sign of any living creature except a couple of birds flying above them now and then. The sound of a water body flowing somewhere could be heard.

After five minutes Shi got up and turned to the Kazekage, "There are five guards at the gate we are approaching. They all look Jounin level. Nothing seems amiss in Takigakure, no exceptionally high chakra levels, no fluctuations or any sort of irregularities, I did not sense any traps but nevertheless it would be good to proceed with caution" said Shi as Gaara nodded to him.

"_Impressive, we're not very close to Takigakure yet, still Shi-San was able to tell the number of guards, their level and the village status as well"_ thought Sakura casting an admiring glance at the quiet Kumogakure shinobi.

They resumed their but with a new formation where Gaara was placed right next to Sakura. An awkward silence formed between the two as they leaped neared Takigakure.

"So, are you feeling tired or anything?" asked Sakura as Gaara gave her a sideways glance that did not look very happy.

"I'm fine" he said curtly as Sakura gave him a puzzled look. _"Have I said something to offend him again?"_ she thought as Gaara gave her another look.

"Are you...feeling tired?" he asked with what seemed like great effort. Sakura sighed in relief and gave him a small smile, "A little, but it's nothing I can't handle"

A little behind them Kakashi observed the conversation with great interest despite not managing to hear what they were saying. _"It isn't like the Kazekage to be so chatty with anybody, and he doesn't know Sakura that well. I wonder what's going on"_

Behind Kakashi Shikamaru was praying to the God's above to get them to stop the chatter of the woman beside him. "Oi, are you even listening to me?" asked Temari. "If I say no am I in trouble?" he asked in a bored tone as Temari rattled of on angry yells.

"Tch, troublesome mission" he muttered as Temari beneath her angry ravings.

After traveling for another hour or so they reached the gates of Takigakure where-true to Shi's predictions- there were five guards wearing a Jounin outfit. Gaara stepped forward as the guards bowed. "Welcome to Takigakure, Kazekage-Sama, our leader has received the message from Hokage-Sama and he's pleased to help in anyway he can. Would you like to rest up before proceeding further?" asked the tallest guards with a poker face.

Gaara glanced once at his group. It was evident that Sakura and Shi were both exhausted. Temari did not seem particularly tired. If the Nara was tired he did not show it and he knew that Kakashi could still go all the way to Kusagakure.

"Perhaps a short break for my team while I meet with the Leader of Takigakure?" asked Gaara as the Jounin bowed. "Shibuki-Sama will be most pleased to see you" said the only woman amongst them.

Gaara turned around, "You all can get a forty minute break here. Try to relax as much as you can because we will not stop till we've crossed Takigakure and neared the Kusa border." he said before turning away.

"Ano" said Sakura taking a step after him. Gaara halted and looked back questioningly at her. "The leader of Takigakure, Shibuki-Kun is an old friend of Naruto and mine, I was wondering if I could come with you? I'd like to see how he's doing" she asked tentatively as Gaara thought over it before giving her a brief nod.

* * *

><p>The maids in the Terada household stared in shock as Morita Terada, the snobbish Lord of the Manor, who fired people if his bath water was not set at the perfect temperature, walked out of the house in the middle of the snowstorm that Tanigakure currently suffered. Everybody knew Morita loathed going outside during bad weather and yet outside he went, with nothing more than a thick shawl and no attendants. Some suspected it was a meeting with a lover. Morita's wife, Terada Yoshimi was a fat and ungainly woman whom he had married only for her father's influence (as the Daimyo of the River country). Yoshimi was the terror of the household attendants and usually did not set foot outside her exquisite room except for meals or during festivals. Despite being married it was common knowledge that Morita carried on affairs with the more seductive and higher classed maidservants.<p>

Well aware of the controversial consequences of his actions Morita Terada wrapped the woolen shawl more tightly around himself. He hated snow and rain more than anything. The snow reminded him of the person he was going to see, And the rain...it reminded him of the time his beautiful Reika had left him and run away.

Despite being married he had affairs with several maids. But none of them had made him fall for them as much as Reika. He loved her with every fiber of his being. He loved touching her soft creamy skin, and her beautiful pink hair that reminded him of cherries. Her laughing blue eyes that challenged the world before them. But alas they had proved no match for his father's might. What his father and mother had done he did not know but after a private meeting with them Reika had suddenly packed her bags and left the next day, without notifying anybody. The only person who might have the least idea where she was...would not help him. But today he was going to ensure that she told him everything he wanted to know.

He arrived at the central shinobi headquarters as every shinobi of Tanigakure bowed before him. "I wish to be taken to the Level Six vault" he announced in his thin voice as two of the shinobi who usually escorted visitors to the prison cells held their hands in a gesture for him to descend the steps.

He walked down six floors with his two bodyguards following at close pace behind him. As he reached the corridor of the sixth floor he turned and asked the two of them to stand guard there and not to let anybody enter till he was finished. After they had bowed he turned and flung open the door of the sixth vault. It was a long passage with cells on either side. The bars on the cells were specially made in Iron Country and was not breakable by any means. A constant chakra absorption device was at work to seep away the chakra of any prisoners within the cell. Currently only one of the cells was occupied and that too at the very end of the passage. Walking to the very last cell he peered in curiously. The steady breathing of a person could be heard.

"Still alive, Shiki?" he asked contemptuously as the moon came out from behind the clouds and cast it's silver light onto the cell through the barred window to reveal a woman with long white hair, wearing rags, lying down on her side with her back to Terada and her head resting on her arms. There was no reply so he slowly slid out a walking stick from his kimono sleeve and started banging the cell bars. This was a known maneuver for the metal that the bars were made of resonated painful sound waves into the cell that caused pain for the prisoner. The woman's body shifted a little but there was still no reply.

"I asked you a question, you..."

"What do you want?" her voice was soft but had a dangerously sharp edge to it. It was a voice that had once made Morita shiver with fear. But no longer, he was in charge now while she was merely a lowly prisoner.

"Turn around and look at me when you speak to me, you disrespectful..."

"I'd rather not. Say what you want to and then leave"

Morita sighed, he knew there was nothing he could do about her attitude. Living for years in the prison she had grown accustomed to the bar's sound waves and he did not have the key to her cell since the prisons were his father's jurisdiction. He slid the stick back into his sleeve.

"I demand to know where Reika is" he said sternly as the woman inside chuckled lightly, "Still not giving up on her? I'm not surprised she left you if _that's_ how dogged and desperate you are"

"Shut up and tell me where she is. I know you know. The servants saw her coming to the prisons to speak with you. Why she came here I don't know but she was never seen in Tanigakure after she entered here. They didn't even see her leave. What did you do to her? Where is she now? TELL ME!" cried Terada loosing his temper.

There was silence in the passage for five minutes before Shiki spoke, "There are five hundred people holed up in this prison in five floors above me. Why would you come to me?"

"I know it has to be you. Reika-Chan, Reika-Chan was always enraptured by you. I hated it, that she admired you so much but she truly wanted to see you. When I heard she was seen entering the prison I just knew that she was coming to see you" said Morita angrily.

Shiki did not reply. Morita grabbed the bars and began shaking them, "Shiki, I warn you. Tell me what happened to her or you'll be sorry. I have the best interrogators in Tanigakure under my command, you'll regret it if you don't tell me what I want to know. Did you forget what I had done to you when you spat upon me three years ago?"

Silence then the woman slowly got up with her back to Terada "I don't have anything to say to you. If you feel that is an act of insubordination then so be it. I am prepared for the consequences. But to provide a blatant traitor like you and your father with any information would be to spit upon the name of my clan. So for all I care you can go die in some hell hole" said Shiki still facing away from him. Just then the moon ducked behind a cloud again and cast the cell into darkness. Terada glared at her through the bars before releasing them and walking away.

"You'll pay for this" he said before slamming the door shut. He marched out ignoring the two guards who approached him. He was angry. Very angry and he had to vent his rage on someone.

Inside the cell, the woman named Shiki's lips curled into a smile.

* * *

><p>"It is so good to meet you again Sakura-Chan" said Shibuki, the Leader of Takigakure beaming at the pinkette as she sat beside Gaara in the lounge of Shibuki's mansion. Gaara was surprised that Sakura had not been joking when she had said Shibuki was a close friend. The tall, inky haired leader of Takigakure was a shy and friendly soul that anybody would find making friends with easy. Gaara was almost envious of his personality.<p>

"How are Naruto and Kakashi-San doing? Does Naruto still obsess over ramen? And does Kakashi-San still read that book, what was it's name now, Itchy Itchy?" he asked as Sakura smiled, "Kakashi-Sensei's never going to give up Icha Icha, in fact here with us now, he said he'd drop by to visit you before we left. Naruto's fine, he's training in Konoha, the ramen stand was destroyed during an Akatsuki invasion so it's no ramen for Naruto for a little while" she said.

From the way Shibuki had left out Sasuke in his reminisces, Gaara noted he was well aware of the Uchiha's international criminal status.

"Yes I heard about that invasion. I'm so glad I could help out. " he said as Sakura bowed, "It was really nice of you to send some of your people to assist us".

" Oh no, in fact I was so pleased when I got the letter from Hokage-Sama. Any way to help Konoha is an honor to me. Not only am I here today because of Konoha shinobi but thanks to Tsunade-Sama we've found a very useful cure for the harmful effects of the Hero Water and our medics are working hard on perfecting it. We are indebted to her" said Shibuki as Sakura smiled again.

"We are also very grateful for your help" said Gaara feeling he ought to get a word in. Just then there was a puff of smoke and Kakashi appeared in the room. Holding up a hand he called out his usual greeting, "Yo Shibuki, it seems you're doing well. But you really need to improve the quality of your bookstores, I didn't find a single Icha Icha amongst them" he said teasingly.

Shibuki laughed, "We were just talking about that" he said as Sakura and Kakashi launched into old reminisces with Shibuki. Gaara stared, feeling puzzled. Shibuki was the leader of a nation, did he not feel embarrassed being to casual with some people he had not seen for over five years? The three were acting more friendly than he had ever been to anyone in his life, including his siblings. It baffled Gaara how they could act like best friends. Then suddenly there was a knock on the door and a Jounin came and bowed.

"Pardon me Shibuki-Sama, but the Kakekage-Sama's sister, Lady Temari insists that it is time for them to set off again" he said in a low voice as Shibuki's face showed disappointment.

"Oh well, that's a pity. I really lost track of the time I was having so much fun" he said wistfully. Kakashi, Sakura and Gaara got up slowly. Shibuki grasped Kakashi's hands and shook them warmly and gave Sakura a hug before offering to walk with them to the gates.

Seeing the Takigakure leader hug Sakura so casually awoke a strange feeling in Gaara's stomach. He did not know what it was but it's message was clear – it disliked Shibuki's action.

They chatted unbearably till they reached the gate where Temari was -unsurprisingly- yelling at Shikamaru who looked ready to pass out any moment while Shi sat on a rock beside them looking slightly uneasy and very relieved to see the rest of them.

"Ah there you are, where the hell have you been. It's been an hour and you said forty minutes. Do you know what sort of trouble we'll be in if we don't cross the border before it gets dark? Well? Do you? I told you we should have taken the other route but no, you just had to take this one!" screamed Temari as Gaara prepared himself for a stern comeback. But before he could speak Shibuki stepped forward and bowed.

"I am Shibuki, leader of Takigakure. I'm extremely sorry that you've been inconvenienced. It's completely my fault. I was enjoying catching up with Sakura-Chan and Kakashi-San that I completely lost track of time. I do hope you'll forgive me" he said bowing as Temari seemed taken aback.

"Well..I suppose...that's all right" she said before gaining her composure and slipping into 'ambassador' mode with pleasantries and by the time Gaara managed to get rid of Shibuki, Temari was practically signing his praises.

"Such a charming gentleman!" she gushed to Sakura, evidently ignoring the men of the group. Claiming to be tired with the men she forced Gaara into the new formation which stuck him with Shikamaru and her with Sakura so that they could have some 'girl talk'.

"But he wasn't always like that you know" said Sakura thinking about the time Shibuki had hid behind her in fear.

"Oh? Well he sure is charming now. If only SOME inconsiderate brothers and others would learn something from him, maybe the world would be a better place" she said, the last part obviously meant for Gaara and Shikamaru who could hear here clearly from the front.

Gaara was greatly regretting his decision to reach Tanigakure through this route, not because he was wrong in thinking it was shorter but because it was not what Temari wanted. And when Temari did not get what she wanted she had a tendency to nag everybody around her to death.

After five more hours of traveling they reached Kusa-Taki border. Thanking his stars it was not completely dark yet (or Temari's complaints would have increased despite Shibuki's apology) Gaara turned to the other five ninja, "Kusagakure's borders are just up ahead. We'll camp out here till dawn and then proceed."

"Wouldn't it be better to go through Kusagakure at night when it's harder to see us?" asked Shikamaru.

"Normally yes but Kusagakure's scouts are expecting attack from some criminal organization therefore their night security has increased by double. We will proceed at dawn. Shi-San, we will need your help again. Not only in sensing how many we might have to face but also in casting a complex genjutsu around us" said Gaara as Shi saluted, "You all may rest up, I shall keep watch"

"Ano, you need not do that for the whole night Kazekage-Sama" said Sakura as Gaara turned his gaze onto her, "We can take shifts"

"Do we have to?" asked Shikamaru groaning as Temari smacked him on the back of the head, "Sakura's absolutely right. We'll take it in shifts of three. Shikamaru and I'll so first, Kakashi-San and Shi-San can go second, then Gaara and Sakura can finish up whatever is left" suggested Temari.

Shikamaru gave Kakashi a pleading look but the older man just pulled his hands into an apologetic gesture and disappeared onto his favorite reading spot, the tree branches. Shi began gathering twigs and fallen branches for a fire as Temari and Shikamaru took a seat on two thick roots of trees. Left alone Sakura stared awkwardly at Gaara.

"You need not keep watch with me, I can manage on my own" he said quietly retreating to a place where he imagined the inquisitive Kakashi or the interfering Temari would not hear them.

"That's all right, I like keeping watch at night. When I'm out on missions with Kakashi-Sensei, Naruto and Sai it's usually me and Sai who do all the watching. Naruto finds it hard to stay awake and Kakashi sensei concentrates too much on that book of his" said Sakura giggling slightly with remembrance.

Gaara did not seem interested so Sakura stopped her reminisces. Just as she was about to get up, "Are you very well acquainted with the Leader of Takigakure?" asked Gaara.

"Shibuki-Kun? No, not very well acquainted. The last time I saw him was five years ago when we helped him..."

"If you are not well acquainted then how can you stand for his advances" said Gaara severely as Sakura gaped at him. "His...advances?" she spluttered as Gaara nodded. "He was clearly and blatantly flirting with you, if I had left I'm sure he would have tried to touch you as well" he said firmly as Sakura held up her hand.

"Whoa, I seriously doubt that. Shibuki's about the most timid guy I've ever met. It'd be as easy for him to touch a woman as it would be for Naruto to be lethargic" she said feeling confused.

"That is your analysis and you are a woman" he said with disdain as Sakura frowned. "That's a rather sexist kind of remark" she said disapprovingly. Gaara gave her a strange look, obviously nobody had ever accused him of being a sexist in the past.

"I apologize if that is how it sounded to you, but I was merely trying to point out that a woman's impression of men they are not familiar with is usually wrong. Why do you think a man feels nervous when meeting his lover's father or brother? It's because he knows his suave nature or lying skills will not work on the male population. He is disturbed in case the father or brother find out that he has at some point lied to his lover." said Gaara.

"That's not always true. Many a times guys are nervous just because the father's opinion matters a lot to his daughter and also perhaps, because the father or brother may be a famous personality. Now if I was a man, and in love with Temari-San, I would feel nervous approaching you because you are a great personality" she said as Gaara looked away feeling slightly mollified, "Why are we having this conversation anyways? I didn't notice any advances that Shibuki apparently made towards me"

"You have not seen him for a long time, and yet he embraced you as if embracing a lover" said Gaara as Sakura gave him a coy grin. "Were you jealous?" she asked teasingly.

"Do not misunderstand me wom- Haruno-San" said Gaara, "I am merely confused as to how you could allow him to do that. I have always been told that an embrace is a sign of deep affection for person and..."

"And of course there is affection between me and Shibuki" finished Sakura plainly as Gaara's eyes widened, "Then I was correct? You reciprocate his feelings?" he asked as Sakura laughed a little, "Now you're misunderstanding. Shibuki is a close friend of mine, Naruto's and Kakashi-sensei's, we helped him out at the most crucial juncture of his life and he will be forever grateful to us for that. And thus we are friends. And true friendship does not diminish over five years or fifty for that matter. Even if I were to meet him fifty years from now I would still have the same fondness of a friend I met just yesterday. That it what it means to be a true friend, when you never forget the person and can go to any lengths to help them" said Sakura as Gaara pondered over what she had just told him.

"And as for the hug, it was just a friendly gesture" she said conversationally, "Everybody enjoys hugs"

"Is that so?" asked the Kazekage with a rising interest, nobody had ever hugged him before this except Naruto, and Temari once after he became Kazekage. He remembered feeling very happy when they had done, he had felt as if somebody cared for him for the first time in his life.

The two spent the next ten minutes in silence. "You should get some sleep" said Gaara, "If you insist on watching then I'll wake you up when it is our turn"

Sakura settled down between the wedge between two roots and comfortably burrowed a little depression for her, "You're probably right, pity we couldn't carry sleeping bags. But I guess this is a Jounin's lifestyle" she said before putting her hand over her mouth while yawning. Within five minutes she was peacefully sleeping against the tree. Gaara had always been jealous of others for their ability to sleep. But seeing Sakura's peaceful sleeping face he did not in the least mind. Looking up into the starry sky he noticed the moon was not visible from where he sat, he always stared at the moon at night. Not finding anything to do he turned his attention back to the sleeping kunoichi next to him. Time passed as he gazed upon her face. Perhaps she would have found it a bit creepy had she been awake but looking at her calmed Gaara somehow. A light breeze blew across her face and blew a strand of her pink hair onto her face. Initially trying to ignore it he found it obstructing her face in an annoying way and hesitantly held began inching his hand towards her face. Gently pulling it aside he tucked it in behind her year and froze as she shifting slightly between the roots and muttered something incomprehensible. Blushing furiously Gaara quickly withdrew his hand and took three steps away from her._ "What am I doing? This is very much unlike me"_ he mentally scolded himself as time ticked away more. After hours of alternately staring at the ground and at Sakura, Kakashi hopped down from a tree and walked towards Gaara.

"It'll be dawn in about two hours, you two can take watch till then" he said quietly as Gaara nodded and advised the older man to get some rest as well.

He walked over to the sleeping kunoichi and placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. Although he didn't manage to wake her she groaned irritably and frowned in her sleep. Gaara sighed before shaking her a little harder to which she slowly opened her eyes.

"It is time for our watch" explained Gaara quietly as Sakura stared indifferently at him for sometime before coming to senses and jumping up, "Yes of course, I'm so sorry" she said bowing.

"I fail to see why you're apologizing" said Gaara as Sakura rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"I...well...you shouldn't have had to wake me. As a shinobi of the Allied Forces I should have been alert" said Sakura.

"Think nothing of it. It was my duty as your friend was it not?" asked Gaara as Sakura's eyes widened.

"You did not think I was serious in your room when I said I would be your friend?" he asked as they approached the two roots upon which Temari and Shikamaru had previously been sitting.

"Well, no, it's not that I doubted you. But I rather thought you'd take some time getting used to it. But I suppose you've proved me wrong" she said giving him a bright smile.

"You do smile a lot" he muttered.

"My mother told me a smile is the easiest way out of a tough situation. Whenever I'm in trouble or in a slump I try to remember all the good things in life, my family, my friends, my mentors, anything that makes me happy. Eventually it lessens the pain and well, soothes the mind" she said wisely.

"But surely that does not work all the time. There many times when the pain is overwhelming or the suffering is unbearable. Thinking about paltry good things would not help in such situations" noted Gaara.

"Well, perhaps you're right. I wouldn't know. There's only twice in my life I've ever felt close to what you're describing." said Sakura, the expression on her face changing slowly. Suddenly she fell into what seemed like a little upset. This was not what Gaara had intended. Seeing the usually cheery girl upset seemed wrong to him. An idea came to his head as a cold wind blew through the forest. _"Should I?"_ he thought before deciding he would for a change take up the initiative in their 'friendship' He strode over to her looking more confident than he felt and sat down beside her before pulling her into a tight one armed hug. Sakura gasped in surprise as his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"W-What...what are you doing?" she asked trying to pull herself away, but the Kazkeage's grip was tight on her waist.

"You seemed upset" was the only thing he said.

"No, I wasn't...well...maybe a little" she said morosely before shaking her head, "But you don't need to..."

"Does it make you feel uncomfortable?" asked Gaara in a dull voice and Sakura suspected she had hurt his sentiments. She stopped struggling and nearly giggled out loud as she saw a fine blush creep across Gaara's face. _"With someone else it would just be creepy, but I guess...this is his way of showing...what?"_ thought Sakura, _"That he's my friend? That he cares?" _

"On the contrary, Gaara-_Kun_, it's very sweet of you" she said beaming at him as the red-head nodded and looked away. He loosened his arm to pull it away, "Hey, I'm not done being comforted yet" said Sakura in a mock 'annoyed' tone as Gaara's might green eyes stared at her bright ones for a moment before the corner's of Gaara's lips curled up a little.

When Temari got up in the morning to fetch water from the river, the sight she saw made her pinch herself hard on the arm to check if she was dreaming. Gaara was sitting with his arm around Sakura's shoulder as she slept with her head on his shoulder. Sensing her chakra he turned one eye to her silently asking her to keep shut. Temari merely gaped in silence for a little while before turning away. Unfortunately for Gaara whom she had her back to he did not see the devious smile growing on her lips and her brain mechanisms working at the speed of light.

* * *

><p>There were many things Sasuke hated in life. Madara. Kabuto. Konoha. Danzou. Screaming fan girls. But the worst he had suffered so far was Suigetsu's and Karin's incessant bickering. In some mild way it reminded him of Sakura and Naruto back from his genin days. But it was still a hundred times worse.<p>

"All I'm saying is that if ya don't want me around then don't interrupt me while I'm trying to get lucky" said Suigetsu swinging a large sword around. Now that the Kubikiribucho had been broken by the Raikage the Swordsman didn't have a powerful enough sword.

"Oh please, I saw the expression on that girl's face. She was just about to slap you. I thought I'd save her the torture of having to touch you" retorted Karin as Suigetsu growled angrily.

"Stay outta my business you Sasuke-obsessed hag" he yelled as Karin swung around, "What did you call me you smelly, sneaky, good-for-nothing creature"

"I called ya 'a Sasuke-obsessed hag', what, you deaf now along with being dumb?" said Suigetsu pleased at the reaction he was getting. He neatly dodged a rock that Karin threw at him with all her might.

"Suigetsu! Karin! That's enough!" shouted Sasuke turning around, "If the two of you have to argue all day long then get the hell away from me and do it"

Karin gazed desperately at Jugo for help as Sasuke glowered at Suigetsu who held up his hand in defense.

"We're all tired and cranky. Maybe we should find a good spot to rest and..." Jugo's peace attempt was broken off as Sasuke turned around, "You guys rest up. I want to scout the area"

"Wait Sasuke, I'll come with you" said Karin as Sasuke gave her the deadliest glare he could muster, "You will stay here with Jugo and Suigetsu until I return, get that into your head Karin" he said before jumping into the trees and disappearing.

The three of them trooped to a cave they found nearby and sat down.

"What's with him? Ever since we've left he's acting like he's got a huge stick up his ass" complained Suigetsu as Karin glared at him, "Maybe it's because the stick is your existence"

"Now, no, no need to get bitchy. I'm sure he's got a great ass but really, I don't swing that way." said Suigetsu as Karin picked up a branch to throw at him.

"His eyes are probably hurting" muttered Jugo as Suigetsu stopped teasing Karin and Karin put down the branch.

"That's probably it" she said, "I heard they're his brother's eyes. It seems almost cruel...to put the person he hates the most, a part of them into him"

"It's damned fucked up, that's what it is" said Suigetsu digging his sword into the ground and leaning himself on it.

"If you two realize that then maybe you should stop being so selfish and think about him for a change" scolded Jugo as Karin looked upset.

"No offense buddy, but we've done a _lot_ for him. I didn't stand in the way of the damned _Hachibi_ and get blown down to almost molecular level for him to yell and bitch at us. You didn't get yourself nearly beaten to death by the hulking gorilla of a Raikage for him to yell and bitch at us. I didn't get my Kubikiribucho destroyed for him to..."

"Aha! I knew it! You're cranky because you've lost that sword" said Karin as Suigetsu glared at her this time, "It's none of your beeswax and didn't your mother ever teach you it's rude to interrupt when two people are talking"

"Please you two" said Jugo as Suigetsu sent him an apologetic look and turned back to him, "As I was saying the three of us, even Ms. Prissy here, have done a lot for him, the least he can do for us is actually seem or at least pretend to be grateful"

"He freed us from captivity" said Karin quietly as Suigetsu sent her a sharp glance, "Well, yeah...he did. But look at what we've done for him. Joined the most infamous criminal organization ever, fought with a damned tailed beast, that too the second strongest one, infiltrated an international Five Kage Summit, fought the Raikage and the Samurai and we're now working with the guy who's over hundreds years old and another guy whose got that bastard Orochimaru's cells in him. I think we've paid him back well with interest" said Suigetsu as Jugo nodded.

"What you say is right Suigetsu, but what Karin says is also right. We have given a lot back to him but I shall always remain indebted to Sasuke for freeing me and I'll follow him forever even if he doesn't care about me"

Karin nodded as well as Suigetsu sighed, "Sheesh, you guys get me depressed with all this 'eternal debt of utmost gratitude' crap. Fine, fine, I'll stop making trouble, I'll stop complaining and I'll stop arguing. That okay with you?" he asked Karin who gave him a prim nod and pushed her glasses up her nose.

"We're Taka and we shall remain so till our life comes to an end" said Jugo.

"Do we have to?"

"Suigetsu!"

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this chapter. Hope you guys liked it. School's starting from tomorrow so I don't think I'll be able to update quite as fast as now. Maybe Once a week? Please lemme know how you felt about the chapter. See you guys next time! I daresay I've made some changes. In this story Sasuke did not try to kill Karin to get to Danzou an Taka still functions. For all those who might not know Shibuki is not an OC, he's a character from the original Naruto OVAs.<p> 


	4. Tanigakure Arc: Dual Assault

Chapter 4 Tanigakure Arc: You Belong With Me

Gaara's delegation sped through Kusagakure as the cool morning wind blew into their faces and a mild sunlight warmed their skin. Gaara had insisted that Sakura stay by his side during their run through Kusagakure because it was customary to protect the medics during a mission. To support this claim he placed Shi beside Kakashi who was the most experienced in the group which left Shikamaru with Temari again. Speaking of Temari, Gaara did not like the sly smile she was shooting him every now and then. He knew she had caught him in a compromising situation with Sakura and he did not know what she was planning but he did know this: there was enough reason to fear Temari in situations such as this.

Beside him leaping through the branches of the trees was Sakura looking immensely ashamed. When she'd woken up later that morning and found that she'd gone off to sleep yet again and that to on Gaara's shoulder, she'd run off and not come back till Temari had yelled they were going off without her. Now, she leaped through the boughs, her pink hair blowing with the wind with a slight blush on her face. Gaara on the other hand thought it suited her, _"It makes her seem even more beautiful than she already is" _he thought, _"But perhaps it is wrong for me to think of her in such a way, since we are friends..." _

But there was no denying that Sakura was beautiful. She was just the right height for a woman and had the figure of a seasoned kunoichi. She was neither anorexic nor bulky. Her hair and eyes gave her a very exotic look and she had beautifully creamy skin that glowed at night. What made her more beautiful was her personality. Gaara had always been around stern or depressing people like his Father, his former sensei Baki. His siblings had been his first step in getting to know cheerful people. Then came Naruto and many others of Sunagakure. And now, here was Sakura with her bright as sunshine personality and innocent thoughts on many of the worlds dark deeds._ "The world needs more people like her"_ thought Gaara wistfully casting a sideways glance at her and to his surprise he found she seemed to be sneaking glances at him as well. Both the green eyes locked for a moment before hastily they both looked in the opposite direction.

Gaara wanted to look at her again but was afraid she would be looking at him as well thus refrained from doing so._ "I wonder if this is friendship,"_ he thought not noticing the coy smiles that Temari was giving his back.

"_This is the chance of a lifetime, no way in hell am I letting it slip out of my grasp"_ thought Temari deviously planning how to get her brother together with Sakura, _"Sakura's a great girl. She'd be perfect for Gaara. Now that she's his medic for the mission I have to take advantage of that and get her together with Gaara. And I think I know how. But my plan won't work until we're out of Kusagakure, so I'll probably have to wait until then" _

Just then Shi gave a call, "I can sense many chakra signature up ahead, we'd better stop and scout out for a while" he said as the six shinobi came to a halt.

"How many?" asked Gaara as Shi began his tracing technique again. When he opened his eyes they were worried, "Around twenty, most of them chunin but I can sense at least seven Jounin amongst them an entire platoon I should think" he said as Shikamaru groaned.

"What do we do now?" he asked as Gaara looked lost in thought.

"We should split up" suggested Kakashi as this idea met with approval from Shi and Shikamaru.

"We could split up into two groups, one group to go through their left, and the other to avoid them, go by the River and enter Tanigakure from the other side" said Shikamaru.

"But that means we won't be able to meet up till we reach Tanigakure" said Temari in dismay as Gaara nodded, "I'm afraid we'll have to take that risk. There is supposedly a great ruin of a village in Tanigakure. We will meet there, in about a day's time" said Gaara as everybody nodded.

"How should we split up?" asked Sakura.

"There has to be at least one medic in each group. Therefore Shi-San and Sakura in separate groups. Shikamaru-Kun and My teamwork works well so we should be together" said Temari quickly as Shikamaru stared at her, "I don't recall any..."

"That leaves Kakashi-San, Sakura and you in the other group Gaara" said Temari cutting of the Nara seeing this as the perfect opportunity to get Sakura off with Gaara _(despite Kakashi's presence)_ and have Shikamaru to herself for a while.

Gaara glanced sharply at his sister. It was obvious that she was planning something. But her team divisions made sense. He reluctantly agreed and they split ways, with Temari's team going off east to avoid the Kusa Platoon and Gaara's team heading west towards the river which would lead them right into Tanigakure.

Gaara now sped beside the river with only Sakura and Kakashi on either side of him wondering how long it would take for them to reach Tanigakure. The surroundings were quiet. _"Too quiet"_ thought Gaara suspiciously. Suddenly a kunai landed on the ground before them and exploded causing stones, water and dust to fly everywhere. Instinctively his sand covered him up to protect him from the impact but his eyes immediately went to the pinkette and sighed as they saw her safe.

"Thought you were pretty smart eh? Splitting off like that. But we've got three sensory types with us." came a rough voice and as the dust cleared it showed ten shinobi standing in a semi-circle in front of them. To Gaara's surprise they did not wear Kusagakure headbands but instead wore baggy pants with sleeveless black muscle shirt. Their bare arms had various tattoos drawn all the way from their finger, on the forearm, the bicep and the shoulder blade as well.

The man who spoke was obviously Jounin level characterised by the self-confident smirk on his face and a high chakra level. Behind him, there were three more Jounin and around six chunin. All of them had a sword in their hands and wore similar outfits with tattoos on their arms.

"_They don't seem to recognize any of us. In Kusagkure I know for a fact Kakashi-San is famous as the 'Copy Ninja'. Sakura has earned herself fame as the Godaime's Apprentice and as Kazekage they should be having some idea who I am. The fact they don't means they're not well informed about the shinobi world. Also they are not Kusa shinobi either."_ thought Gaara carefully observing the group, _"From their uniform and the tattoo I say they're the criminal organization that Shibuki warned us was prowling around. The one that had once taken the Fire country's daimyo hostage but had given him up after they were annihilated by the Sannin, but that was sometime ago" _he thought to himself.

"We have no business with you rouges. Let us pass and we will forget that we saw you here today. Obstruct us further and this place will be strewn red with your blood" warned Gaara as the leader gave him a nasty smile before turning to the others, "Kill the loudmouth and his masked buddy. We'll take the girl, she could provide 'entertainment' for us at night, know what I mean?" he said as the remaining shinobi laughed sarcastically. Something snapped in Gaara's head and sand poured out of his gourd and and took the form of a snake like creature around him, "_Rendan: Suna Shigure_" he said slowly, with an edge to his voice as dozens of sand bullet emerged from the sand snake and were shot towards the bandit group.

The leader took a leap back and two of the chunin took his place instead, they performed hand seals. They performed the final seal and cried out together, "_Futon: Daitoppa_". The leader who had moved back between them then performed a hand seal and cried out, "_Katon: Endan_" and shot out a huge amongst of flames from his mouth, which greatly enchanced by the wind closed in on the three. Gaara's sand rose and created a sphere of protective sand around him, Sakura and Kakashi. Before anything more could be done the sand rose up higher and shot down from above as tiny bullet. It managed to hit three of the chunin in various non-fatal places.

"You bastard!" yelled one of the Jounin as he and two other chunin rushed towards Gaara.

The two chunin performed hand seals and cried out, "_Suiton:Suigaden_". Two drills of water rose out from the river and merged together to form a single deadly drill. The Jounin then performed, "_Raiton: Kangahika_" as lightning flashed through the water making it deadlier in nature.

"_They use a very common but effective maneuver"_ thought Sakura, _"Two chunin and one Jounin attack with conflicting chakra natures to enhances each others attack. Katon and Futon, Suiton and Raiton and so on"_

"Doton: Doryuheki" cried Kakashi as a huge wall of mud emerged in front of them and blocked the water bullet. Then Sakura surged forward with her arm raised and hit the wall with a chakra enhanced punch shattering the wall and causing huge fragments of rock and mud to go flying towards the the bandits.

"Doton:..." the Jounin performing the jutsu could not complete his words as sand began enveloping him till he was completely packed in the sand excepting his head, "_Sabaku Kyuu_" said Gaara raising a palm into the air before saying, "_Sabaku Soso_" and closed his palm crushing the Jounin, sending blood showering everywhere.

"Shannaro!" cried Sakura punching the ground causing the ground to crack and huge rocks to emerge from beneath crushing at least two chunin and sending one of the Jounin hurtling into the river. Kakashi leaped into the air and was immediately attack by two chunin who were fighting him hand to and. Kakashi ducked the blows of one and kicked his leg out to push the other back. As the first chunin came towards him again. Kakashi caught him by the neck and swung him towards the second one, "Raikiri!" he said sending his deadly lightning blade through both the chunin before landing gracefully on his feet.

Gaara, Kakashi and Sakura regrouped to face the four remaining members of the group. One Jounin, two chunin and the Leader. The Leader's face was shocked but not particularly troubled.

"Well it seems we underestimated you" he said slowly as Gaara glared at him, his sand swirling around his feet.

"However, you'll not get away from me" said the Leader performing hand seals, "_Raiton: Ten'notsurugi_" he said as the clouds covered up the sun and thunder growled in the sky. A huge bolt of thunder came from the sky and struck the ground before the Kazekage.

Gaara's eyes widened as he recognized the infamous A-Ranked Technique that called forth great bolts of thunder from the sky. Quickly his sand began to assimilate around them but the one remaining team ran forward shooting huge bullets of flame from their mouth.

"_I've no choice, If I have to protect us, avoid the lightning and avoid the flames. I have to use that technique"_ he thought as sand completely wrapped him, Sakura and Kakashi into a tight orb and began lifting itself.

"What do you plan on doing?" asked Sakura apprehensively as Gaara looked at her, "When we emerge from this sphere there will be no one left" said Gaara. Outside the sphere the smirk had been wiped off from the face of the Leader and his remaining subordinates as the sphere rose into the sky.

"_Suna no sen-kajo kaki_" said Gaara from within as tiny spikes of sand emerged from the outer layer of the sand. To anyone outside it seemed as if a huge spiky ball was about to fall on them, but instead the sphere started rotating and thousand of deadly sand needles began shooting themselves from the sphere.

"Defend yourself, defend yourself" cried the Leader when a needle pierced his head, chest, arms and thigh together. The others screamed as he fell down dead. In five minutes the needle shower stopped and the sphere descended back onto the ground and dissipated. Sakura stared in shock at the corpses of the four who had been alive, they had been pierced practically everywhere.

"There is no avoiding this attack. Nobody can defend themselves against thousand tiny needles of tightly packed sand when the sphere is out of their reach" said Gaara impassively as Kakashi looked at the sky, "It's getting late, we've been greatly delayed as it is" he said sounding worried.

"What about Temari-San's group?" asked Sakura feeling worried, "What we faced was merely half of them and they were so powerful"

"We have eliminated the strongest in their group. No doubt the ones following Temari are mostly chunin-level. If I were you I'd worry more about the bandits" said Gaara as Sakura, despite their tension-filled environment gave him a surprised stare, "Did you just crack a joke?" she asked disbelievingly.

"It happens sometimes" said Gaara kneeling down to check the corpse of the bandit leader. Kakashi had summoned Pakkun some distance off and was talking urgently with him. Sakura, not finding anything to do went to the edge of the river and looked in on her reflection.

Suddenly there was a spike of chakra as Sakura suddenly found herself pulled back and collide with something hard and warm. To her shock she was tightly held against the Kazekage, with his chin resting just above her head. His one hand was pointing towards the water where the sand was swirling. Soon the water there turning red and the body of the one Jounin that Sakura had sent into the waster floated up. _"He meant to kill me with that sword"_ thought Sakura seeing a sword float up to the bank. She turned her eyes to Gaara who was staring impassively at the water. His arm was still protectively wrapped around her and her face against his chest.

"Whew, that was close" she said in a voice that was much shakier than she would have liked it to be. Gaara's hold loosened slightly but did not fall.

"Yes...yes it was much to close" he murmured as Sakura found herself blushing at the close proximity.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice him before" she said, "Thanks for saving me"

Gaara finally released her-almost reluctantly- and shook his head, "He was hiding his chakra and was of water nature so the river probably camouflaged his signature. As for saving you," his light green eyes locked onto her and Sakura almost shivered at the intense look in them , " For some vague reason I feel as if I wouldn't like to lose you right now" he said sincerely as Sakura found her heart thumping so loudly that she was surprised Gaara couldn't hear her.

Gaara turned away but Sakura caught hold of his sleeve. He turned around and looked at her expectantly. Seeing his puzzled gaze Sakura gave a small laugh and pulled him into a tight hug. Gaara's eyes widened in astonishment as Sakura wrapped her arms around him. "Arigato Gaara-Kun, it means a lot to me that you feel that way" she said quietly as Gaara stared at her pink head, wondering what he should do now. _"If I embrace her as well it will almost seem like a loving gesture. But if I don't I would come across as rude. I do want to embrace her. I'm sure it's okay for friends to...embrace" _he thought as he slowly lifted both his hands and wrapped them around lightly, at first and when she didn't protest he wrapped them tighter.

The two stayed like that for a minute before a stern voice broke them apart, "So! _This_ is what happens when I turn my back for a moment" said Kakashi standing in his classic 'angry' posture with his face thrust forward and his hand on his hips. Sakura remembered seeing it for the first time when he had caught Sasuke and her giving food to Naruto.

"It's not what you think Kakashi-sensei, Gaara-Kun and I were..."

"Embracing each other. It was her thank you for saving her life just a moment ago. Any objections?" demanded Gaara firmly as Sakura jumped and stared at the Kazekage. His eyes were challenging, almost daring Kakashi to make one more comment. Kakashi stared back at him for a while before a slight crease in his mask showed a smile. "Whatever. We'd better get going, I've sent Pakkun to your sister's group. He knows Shikamaru's sent so assuming they haven't been separated he'll find them and inform them that we're fine or see if they need help"

Gaara nodded gratefully as they resumed their journey towards Tanigakure.

* * *

><p>"Sir we have an update on the woman fitting Reika-Sama's description" said Ken'ichi stepping into Morita's private office after knocking four times. The office was beautifully decorated with enchantingly designed carpets on the floor and curtains. The furniture was all made from the best wood available in Fire Country. The scent of honey filled the office as Morita Terada lay on his futon, on his stomach with two maids massaging his back and legs.<p>

Upon hearing Ken'ichi's words he shot up, ignoring the cries of protest from the two maids.

"Apparently she's been spotted in Kusagakure along with two others. I don't think this woman is Reika-Sama because according to our source she was clearly a kunoichi and was seen having an intimate moment with one of her companions" said Ken'ichi.

"Intimate moment? What do you mean intimate moment?" yelled Morita as Ken'ichi bowed, "She was seen warmly embracing one of her companions. My source wasn't able to get a look at the companion but she did say his chakra levels were very high. Kage-level possibly. And..."

"Who is this source you keep babbling about" yelled Morita as Ken'ichi sighed, "I've been collaborating with the criminal Midori to get my information. I assure you, Heika, never once have I given away anything to..."

"Who cares about that. Is this Midori reliable?" asked Morita as Ken'ichi nodded, "She's the best tracker I've ever met and she's got a huge network under her.

"You said she was a criminal, I don't recall having banished anyone named Midori" said Morita thoughtfully as Ken'ichi bowed once more. "No sir, she was exiled before your father's reign. She was exiled by Tetsuo-Sama"

"Tetsuo huh? Shiki's father was a really good-for-nothing 'law abiding' old fool from what I hear. No wonder he exiled all the useful people and left rotten lumps in Tani. Serves him right for what happened" said Morita maliciously as Ken'ichi's palm tightened around the carpet he bowed on.

"Anyways, I don't care what your contact saw. There can't be anybody else with that hair colour in and around Tanigakure. Get her to me and we'll see what happens from then. As for her companion. Have him killed. I don't care if he's Kage-level. Surely a team of my strongest Jounin could do it? You lead them" said Morita as Ken'ichi nodded and disappeared from the office without a word. Morita lay back on the carpet and growled impatiently at the two maids who exchanged weary glances with each other and resumed their massage.

After leaving Terada's mansion Ken'ichi visited the bar he often frequented. Lately he'd been visiting it so often that the bartender and he were now on a first name basis. While it was not his custom to drink before an important mission he felt as if he couldn't care at all any more.

He threw open the doors of the bar. Immediately he was surrounded by the many whores who roamed the bar in hopes of an 'expensive' partner for the night. He was often targeted because of his high position in Tanigakure's shinobi force.

Brushing the fawning girls aside he walked up and slumped down onto the bar signaling the bartender, who was wiping a glass, to provide him with his drink. The bartender gave him a sympathetic look before turning to fiddle with the glasses. Meanwhile a scantily clad woman edged up to Ken'ichi and wrapped her arms around his well-toned arm.

"Ne, Ken'ichi-Kun, you never pay the slightest attention to me these days. What's the matter" she crooned as Ken'ichi sighed. Once when he had made the mistake of arguing with Terada, he had been fired from his position. To drown his sorrows he had come here and had somehow ended up sleeping with one of the girls. The next day Terada's father forced him to apologize and offer him back his former position. Since work was scarce in Tanigakure he chose to swallow his dignity for once and re-take the job. The prostitute he had slept with kept bothering him every time he came to the bar and despite his many apologize and protests she clung doggedly to him.

"I wasn't aware that I ever paid any attention to you" he said coldly not in a mood for niceties as the Bartender put down his drink in front of him and glared at the woman who gave the two men a furious look and stomped away.

"Sorry about that, but she is one of our biggest customer magnets. Apparently, your Lord Terada's taken an interest in her as well" said the Bartender who could be inevitably counted on to provide any local gossip.

"Don't speak to me about that man" said Ken'ichi drowning his glass in one gulp and slamming it back so hard on the counter that the other bottles and glasses shook., "What, His Majesty getting on your nerve again?" teased the Bartender.

"I'll say. He's gone crazy with his search for that maid. I know if I were a maid and had that guy lusting after me I'd run the hell away too. Can't blame her. But that's my job. Now he wants to send me and our strongest Jounin out after some random girl that Midori spotted and catch her when she's got a Kage-level shinobi escorting her. It'll serve him right if all of us die right there and he's left with only a few flaky chunin to run the village with" said Ken'ichi mutinously as the Bartender clicked his tongue in sympathy.

"Things weren't so bad when his father was in power right? I mean he was strict but logical" said the Bartender.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't like the man. But yeah, he's a really good commander and a good tactician as well. Much better than Tetsuo-Sama was. Frankly, I admired Tetsuo-Sama for his honor and kindness but in terms of battle he was a fool" said Ken'ichi more to himself than to his friend.

"Makes you wonder how he gave birth to a hell spawn like Shiki" said his friend as Ken'ichi grinned for the first time.

"She must get that from her mother" he said quietly as Bartender looked knowingly at him.

"You and Shiki were childhood sweethearts right?" he asked casually as Ken'ichi laughed, "No such thing as sweethearts where Shiki is concerned. But yes, we were childhood friends, well I was more of a henchman."

"But you did have a crush on her?" asked the Bartender.

Ken'ichi did not reply but merely looked away, "It's not like I can do anything about it. Oh well, I've wasted enough time anyways. Better go and rally up the Jounin before that inflated gasbag blows up on me" he said slapping some coins onto the counter and leaving.

* * *

><p>Kakashi hadn't said a word about her little 'private moment' but Sakura knew from the glazed expression on his face that the gears were whirring furiously in his head. He had already stared at the Kazekage for fifteen minutes and had now turned his gaze on Sakura.<p>

"We should be reaching Tanigakure's borders in about an hour. Pakkun informs me that Temari's group has been a little delayed. Apparently she and Shikamaru argued which way to take and wouldn't let Shi get in a word and they got lost. I've asked them to please depend on Shi for directions from now. Is that okay?" asked Kakashi as they ran swiftly through the grassy plains of Kusagakure

Gaara nodded quietly not looking at either of the Konoha shinobi instead surging a little ahead of them with his sand. Sakura had tried desperately to catch up with him but every time she neared him he seemed to surge even more forward.

"The river sure is turbulent isn't it? Makes one wonder why so" said Kakashi conversationally as Sakura mentally groaned. This was a very common tactic and rather a personal favorite of Kakashi's. Whenever he wanted one of his student's to reveal something that he suspected they were keeping back he would jovially began making small talk about random stuff. Usually it worked well with Naruto and frustrated him into revealing certain secrets but Sakura wasn't sure it would work on Gaara.

"The rains they had a few weeks ago are probably responsible for that" replied Gaara as Sakura gaped, _"Was he actually replying back? Is he going to reply to all of Sensei's random statements and questions"_ thought Sakura finding that image extremely amusing.

"The weather's bliss isn't it? Makes one want to sing and dance" said Kakashi carefully evading Sakura;s glares.

"I shouldn't say that. The weather is almost never good to make anybody sing and dance. Only when they're very happy perhaps" replied Gaara again without turning.

Kakashi's relentless questions continued. Gaara valiantly answered each and every one of them as civilly as he could before he snapped and turned to face the Copy Ninja. "Is there any point to what you're trying to do?" he asked icily as Kakashi held up his hand.

"What I'm trying to do? What am I trying to do Kazekage-Sama, I don't think I know what you mean"

Gaara then stopped completely. His face was as black as thunder. " Kakashi-San, I'd like a word with you in private. Perhaps you'd be so kind as to accompany me to that little thicket over there?" asked Gaara stonily.

"I'd be delighted Kazekage-Sama" said Kakashi in his usual voice. Yet Sakura noticed the subtle difference in the man as he walked over with Gaara to the thicket after giving her a reassuring wink that Sakura had no idea about.

* * *

><p>The moonlight streamed into her cell and fell right across her face. That beastly Terada had ordered her hands and legs to be bound by chakra suppressors turned at 'Full' for every hour of the day for five days a week which left her with just enough chakra to breathe, swallow the food provided to her once in a while and gulp down the water in the large barrel to her right. She hated the moonlight. Her eyes hurt and her head ached when the silver beam fell on her face. If she had her way she would block out the moon forever. She probably could, if it weren't for her being trapped like a dog in the lowest level of the Tanigakure Prisons.<p>

If Terada had been in charge of her then it might not have been so bad. Yes of course he would have inflicted a far more painful situation for her. But he was so easily manipulated that she would have been out of here in a few months at the most. But Terada's father was an intelligent and strategical man. One that she couldn't hope to defeat in her current condition.

How she hated both of them. The duo of father-son. The older Terada was a sly, cunning and conniving man who had usurped the reigns of Tanigakure from her father and sat upon his throne as if it were his birthright,. He had played with the minds of her family till they had killed themselves in desperation. And now he sat living luxuriously in their mansion while her father's corpse rotted in the damp graveyard behind the residential district.

And his son. She hated him even more. The younger Terada was a fool of a man, easily swayed by the whims of a woman and manipulated as easily as a little child of five years old lost in a fair. He had no right to sit upon that throne that rightfully belonged to her brothers. No right at all!. _How dare he!_ And yet here was destiny. With her shut up in a cell. Her brother goodness knows where and that slime ball dirtying the air with his existence.

But no longer. No longer was she planning on staying here and suffering in silence. She had ensured that Terada's father was out of town thanks to the only loyal contact she still had. Now that Terada was left alone to his own decisions and was already so agitated about the maid he was infatuated with this was the perfect time for her to make her move. She was sure that he would come back to prompt her on the maid's disappearance. That was when she had to strike. It was most fortunate that the maid had entered the prison and had disappeared. She knew this much. Nobody had come to see her on the day that Terada had often asked her to recall. No man, woman or child had set foot upon the long, cold passage of the sixth level. She did not know why Terada thought the maid should come to see her but she did not care. It gave her the perfect opportunity. The perfect opportunity to reclaim what was rightfully hers. The moon disappeared behind the clouds again.

"_It is time"_

* * *

><p>Sakura sat on a rather large and pungent-smelling tree swinging her legs from the branch wondering what Gaara and Kakashi were up to behind the small cluster of trees. So far she hadn't sensed any angry spikes of chakra or uncontrollable bursts of murderous killing intent spewing through the trees.<p>

"_Honestly those two, couldn't this have waited till we had reached Tanigakure and regrouped with Temari-San before they had to have a man-to-man talk?"_ she thought feeling extremely annoyed at being cast aside like this.

After waiting for another fifteen minutes she saw her two companions walking out of the trees and making their way towards her.

Gaara walked up to her and spoke coolly, "We're going to sprint all the way to Tanigakure now. Are you sure you don't require any rest?"

Sakura cast a sideways glance at Kakashi who looked rather subdued. "No thanks, I'm fine" she replied as Gaara nodded and the three of them set off again.

They rushed through the plains of Kusagakure till they finally crossed the border and entered the River Country. The river country was more filled with birds than they had imagined. Huge flocks of birds flew across the darkening sky, their collective calls creating a rather mystical yet strangely unpleasant noise in the air. Sakura was so lost in the sights around them and did not stop in time to save herself from bumping heavily into Gaara's back.

"I...I'm so sorry" she said blushing furiously as she bowed in apology, "I didn't see you suddenly stop"

Gaara merely gave her an understanding nod. His eyes,Sakura noticed, were alert and suspicious, just as they had been before they had been friends. _"Perhaps I'm getting a bit to used to his more relaxed side"_ thought Sakura shamefacedly.

Her thoughts were broken by Kakashi who muttered quietly, "We have company"

Immediately there was a huge flash of chakra and paper bombs began going of in all directions. Sakura found herself dodging the fatal blasts by instinct and her minute sensory abilities. Suddenly she felt her feet sink into the ground a little and saw to her horror that she was stepping on a chakra bomb set like a mine. The world darkened around her suddenly and she felt the vibration of the blast shaking every inch of her body. Yet she didn't receive a single burn as a tightly packed sand orb had formed around her just as she had stepped on the mine. As the sand dissipated she saw them surrounded by ten shinobi. Unlike the group they had faced before they seemed to be more civilized and seasoned as they wore the shinobi uniform and had a forehead protector with two partially overlapping mountains carved on them. They all looked Jounin level.

"If you are shinobi from Tanigakure then we come in peace" said Gaara quietly as the shinobi merely responded by giving each other glances and turning back to face the Kazekage and the Copy Ninja. For a moment nobody spoke when suddenly three of them surged forward with a sword drawn. The swords appeared to be enhanced by chakra much the same was as Asuma had enhanced his blades.

Five of them headed towards Kakashi and five towards Gaara as Sakura was left standing. Kakashi yelled something out to her but before he could complete he was assaulted. These were Jounin of near his experience and fighting five of them at the same time was not an easy feat. Sakura however by now knew what she should be doing. She retreated to a safe distance from the battle and began preparations for a complex genjutsu so that she could act as a support for the two who fought.

Suddenly she felt something before her and sharply turned around. The last thing she saw before a sharp finger jabbed her nape and hit the chakra spot which caused unconsciousness and paralysis was a man with his face covered in black cloth and a single brown eye looked at her from under the folds of the cloth.

* * *

><p>Well that's it for this chapter. Please let me know what you think. The next chapter will give us a glimpse of our favorite loudmouthed blonde and our bad ass Akatsuki.<p> 


	5. Tanigakure Arc: Captivity and Freedom

I'd like to give a big thank you to **crystalvenom20** for being such an awesome reviewer and providing me with so much of inspiration and reassurance. Thanks a lot CV, you rock! I'd like to extend my thanks to aurelle and anonymous reviewer Gaaraslvr77 for their reviews.

Chapter 5 **Tanigakure Arc: Trapped in Darkness**

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, her eyelids protesting against this action, trying to keep her eyes shut. She could feel a damp wall beneath her. Darkness reigned everywhere, not a speck of light could be seen. Her consciousness began to slowly re-appear as she remembered bits and pieces of what had happened. But it all seemed...fuzzy. She remembered a grand hall, and a man yelling, and someone dragging her somewhere. She sat up slowly but almost collapsed immediately again as a sharp pain surged through the back of her head. Lifting her hands to her skull she lightly tapped it around the area that hurt and was not surprised to feel that she was bleeding. A light smell of jasmine was floating around in the air that Sakura, even in her condition, found odd.

"_What happened...to me?"_ she thought when suddenly a flash of red hair and light green eyes appeared in her memory.

"_Gaara...Yes of course"_ thought Sakura as realization dawned slowly on her, _"I'm on the top secret mission to Tanigakure. Gaara-Kun, Kakashi-sensei and I were ambushed" _

The throbbing at the back of her head seemed to diminish slowly as she sat up carefully and gazed around her. She was in some sort of prison with bars across the window and in front of her. There was no light anywhere. Her clothes seemed wet and dirty and her body ached and groaned at her slight movements.

"Where am I?" she muttered to herself as a slight sound suddenly put her on her alert.

"I see you're awake" came a soft voice from across the passageway. Sakura squinted the best she could but could make out nobody in the darkness._ "I can't sense any chakra either. Is it perhaps a civilian or are they just very good at hiding chakra signals?"_

"If you're wondering why you can't sense me I think it's because there is nothing to sense. I have a meager amount of chakra left in me." came the voice again and as the moon peeped out from behind the clouds the cell opposite her was cast into silver light. Then did Sakura see a woman in her late twenties, wearing a rag dress that reached till her knees. Her long white hair was left loose and lay spread out on the ground because of it's length. Sakura could not see the more finer details of her face but from what she could see the woman had deathly pale skin.

"Who...who are you?" asked Sakura curiously as the woman smiled. "I am a captive, much like yourself. The only difference is that you've been here a day whereas I've been here for ten years." she replied as Sakura gasped softly.

"Ten years..." suddenly her mind was filled with apprehension, _"What sort of criminal could she be if she's been here for ten years"_ thought Sakura.

"Well since we're both going to be here for a while I might as well tell you everything. It'll help counter boredom, give us something to converse about, free my mind of a little burden and then if someday you escape you could tell the world the truth" said the woman.

"The Truth?" asked Sakura feeling puzzled as the woman nodded.

"Let me start at the beginning." said the woman, "My name is Tsurugi Shiki, and I am the fifth child and only daughter of the Leader of Tanigakure Tsurugi Tetsuo" she said as Sakura looked up, "Tanigakure? Are we in Tanigakure right now?" she asked.

"That's right. So, as I was saying, I am the fifth child of the Leader of Tanigakure. We've been ruling this village since the time of the First Great Shinobi World War when we took over from the Daimyo. Since we are from a royal lineage we have many branch clans spread out over River Country." said Shiki, "Each of these clans was given a district to govern. Amongst those clans was the clan of Terada. They were our oldest allies. Hiroyuki Terada and my father were best friends and also second cousins. He had a son named Morita. One day, ten years ago my father invited them over here for a royal ceremony which would place my eldest brother on the seat of Tanigakure's throne. Everything was ready and the celebration was in full tilt when suddenly Hiroyuki turned on my father and stabbed him right through the heart. We didn't even get time to digest what had happened before we were bombarded by members of the criminal group that lurks around near our border with Kusa. All my brother's were placed under a complex genjutsu. I was deemed as 'useless' and thrown in here. And here I've been since then" finished Shiki bitterly as Sakura gazed at the woman uncomfortably.

"Hiroyuki took the throne of Tanigakure, bribed, seduced or threatened all the shinobi here into his service and disposed of my brothers in some horrible way that drove them mad. He ruled for eight years and only two years ago did he retire and leave the throne to his son Morita who I'm glad to say is a first rate fool. He's weak, foolish, easily manipulated, holds no authority, has the intelligence of a doorknob and lastly, is whimsical to the point of being a leaf fluttering in a tornado" finished Shiki vindictively.

"It was that Morita Terada who had you brought here" she added as Sakura sat up more quickly required. "What? Why? I haven't done anything wrong" she said irritably.

"No, I'm afraid you haven't. Perhaps you'll tell me who I'm speaking to and then _I'll _tell you _why_ you're speaking to me?" said Shiki as Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. 17 years old, first apprentice to Godaime Hokage Tsunade. Also I'm a part of a delegation that arrive was supposed to arrive in Tanigakure with an alliance treaty" said Sakura.

"I've heard from one of my contacts that there's an international war going on outside. I even heard that the Five Great Villages have united" said Shiki as Sakura noticed the question in her statement.

"That's true. The Five Nations have formed an Allied Shinobi Force to unite against the enemy" said Sakura.

"Uchiha Madara" stated Shiki as Sakura nodded, "You do seem to know a lot about what's going on outside seeing as you're trapped in here."

"I still have a few people who were loyal to my father who still work for me secretly. I get information from them" said Shiki "If it's co-operation you're looking for then forget it. Morita Terada's probably the most uncooperative man in existence."

"Never mind that. I told you who I am. Now will you tell me why I'm here?" asked Sakura impatiently.

"Most certainly. After Morita Terada became the Leader he fell madly in love -or so he says- with a maid of the household knows as Reika. I don't know what happened but apparently this Reika suddenly disappeared from the household one day asking Morita to forget her. And that twit, instead of forgetting her, began spending his days plotting to bring her back. He sent out our strongest Jounin to look for her instead of protecting our village, we were nearly invaded twice. His father keeps me alive because he wishes to harvest my kekke genkai. He himself keeps my alive because I'm supposed to have some sort of information for him"

"But what's any of that got to do with me" asked Sakura. Shiki's smile widened a bit, "Apparently Reika had pink hair"

* * *

><p>Gaara and Kakashi sped through the forest faster than they ever had in their entire life. After Sakura had been kidnapped by one of the ambushers whom they had somehow failed to notice the remaining had disappeared as well leaving only one corpse. Kakashi had recognized the Tanigakure headband and they were now headed towards the village at full speed to get some answers.<p>

"_If those men have laid a hand on her then I'll personally squeeze the life out of them and with great pleasure as well"_ thought Gaara darkly as Kakashi gave a quick glance at his black-as-thunder visage.

"You needn't worry so much, Kazekage-Sama" said Kakashi, "Sakura is quite capable of looking after herself"

Gaara did not reply. Neither did he relax. Kakashi sighed and merely increased his speed to keep up with the Kazekage. They had neared the Kusa-Tani border and the lush green grassland was now giving way to more barren lands and tall mountains were passing by them.

As Kakashi sent a glance towards the Kazekage he thought about the conversation they'd had only a few hours ago.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_Kakashi leaned casually on a tree as Gaara stood in front of him with his back straight and an angry look in his usually impassive eyes._

"_And? What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked conversationally as Gaara glared at him, "I do not know what you expect to achieve by this callous act Hatake-San but I will have you know it that I dislike it and will not stand for any such behavior in future even from someone as experienced and respectable as yourself" said Gaara darkly._

"_You'll have to pardon my rudeness but what's going on between you and Sakura?" asked Kakashi lightly._

"_Not that I don't wish to answer that but I fail to see what business is it of yours? Sakura-San is my medic for the mission that is all" lied Gaara as Kakashi raised an eyebrow._

"_Is that so? Do you usually allow your medics to hug you warmly like that? You've hardly known Sakura well for three days. Before that you only knew her in passing. Even Naruto doesn't warm up to people that fast. And yet here you are, the cold and aloof Kazekage, hooking up with my former student. A teacher gets curious sometimes" said Kakashi._

_Gaara sighed knowing that the older man was too cunning to be caught out with that lie and observant enough to notice that he was friendly with Sakura._

"_I am not _hooking up_ with Sakura-San" said Gaara distastefully, "To counter my condition I need to develop certain amount of trust for her and to do so she has offered to try a hand at friendship. I have accepted and things are proceeding smoothly for the moment."_

"_Is that so? Friendship is it?" asked Kakashi._

"_Just what are you insinuating Hatake" said Gaara dangerously as Kakashi pushed himself forward and walked by Gaara placing a hand on his shoulder, "I may be the one who reads Icha Icha all the time but remember the two of you are teenagers and I don't fancy explaining to Tsunade-Sama if anything unfortunate happens get it?" he asked slowly as Gaara gave him a confused look._

"_I fail to see the point of this. Sakura-San and I are merely friends. Our relationship is platonic and is none of your concern. I wish for you to stop you're pestilential comments now and please focus on our mission. That is all." said Gaara before turning and walking back towards the river._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"_I have no idea what Sakura is trying to do, but I do know this, she's playing a dangerous game getting involved with the Kazekage"_ thought Kakashi mentally ruing the day he had accepted responsibility of Sakura's safety on this mission from Tsunade.

"We're here" muttered Gaara as the forest suddenly cleared out and the moonlight revealed a moderately large village tucked in between two tall mountains. Twinkling lights from the village told them that people were still awake.

"Are you sure we should proceed like this?" asked Kakashi doubtfully as Gaara sent him a scathing look as if his question wasn't even worth answering. Then the Kazekage started walking forward as Kakashi sighed and followed.

"_It isn't like me to worry about someone I've not known for more than two or three days. But for reasons unknown, I will rescue Sakura-San"_ thought Gaara determinedly, _"If it's the last thing I do"_

* * *

><p>Morita Terada had never been so angry in his entire life. <em>"How dare he. How dare that bastard Ken'ichi stride in here with some Konoha bitch with probably bleached pink hair and throw her at me saying it was Reika. How dare he!"<em>

The Leader of Tanigakure paced up and down in his throne room while his maids gave each other uncomfortable looks. They knew if they even uttered a word it was liable to get them fired when their master was in such a foul mood.

The door creaked open and Hiroyuki Terada strode in calmly. Morita gave him a glare but ignored him as his father came and seated himself at his usual spot. He wordlessly dismissed the maids and turned to his son after they left.

"I heard you found a Reika-lookalike" he said scornfully as Morita glowered at him in rage. "I'm in no mood for your lecture Chichiue. Please leave me alone"

"I should have left you alone the moment your mother gave birth to you, you nitwit" yelled the older man, "How foolish can you be? You had the audacity to send ten of our best Jounin, including Ken'ichi on some wild goose chase leaving the entire village with no defensive force. What would have happened in the village was attacked during that time span. What would you have done? Probably hide behind the bed like a pansy. You know, I'm not surprised that maid left you, you're absolutely worthless!"

Morita was in the process of opening his mouth to yell back when there was a knock and the Housekeeper poked her head in.

"What?" snapped Hiroyuki furiously as the woman winced, "There are some people outside who would like to meet you sir. They seem to be shinobi. They said it was extremely important and that they simply had to see you right now"

"Tell them to go fuck themselves!" yelled Morita as the door swung open wider and four people walked in.

"Who the hell do you think you are, walking into my house like this. Security!" yelled Hiroyuki when suddenly he found a blade drawn at his throat and one of the trespassers behind him.

"We merely wish to talk but if you don't cooperate we have no qualms about killing you" said the person coldly as the Housekeeper screamed and suddenly fell forward after being knocked on the head by one of the tresspasers. Morita gaped at the scene in front of him stupidly not knowing what to do.

The assailant released Hiroyuki who fell forward coughing.

He turned to Morita. "You are the Leader of Tanigakure, yes?" he asked as Morita nodded.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Undoubtedly you've heard of the war going on between the Shinobi nations and between Uchiha Madara. I bring you and your village a proposal from him" said Sasuke coldly as Hiroyuki struggled up and managed to reach the throne.

"A message from Uchiha Madara? Why on earth would he send us a message. We have nothing to do with this war" cried Hiroyuki as Sasuke ignored him.

"We can do this two ways. We can sit down civilly and talk this out, or I can force it into your ears. The choice is yours" he said looking at the younger man who gaped back at him. After a few moments he seemed to gather himself and sat down on the throne. "Please sit down" he said as Sasuke glanced at his three companions who appeared beside him.

"I'm not here to sit. I'm here to make a proposal" he repeated as Morita narrowed his eyes, "Then make it. I'm curious as to what proposal the great Uchiha Madara has to make to me"

"I'm sure you know that the shinobi nations have allied together to take down Madara. However the only way they can actually take him down is by attacking him. And for them to attack him they need to know his base"

"I grow tired of this story. What's your point, huh?" asked Morita rudely as Sasuke glared at him.

"I'm coming to that. The fastest and most efficient way for them to reach him is to go by Tanigakure for his hideout is close by. With that in mind he has extended an offer for you to join him in his dream. He says that you and our family will be provided with complete protection and be given anything you want under the condition that Tanigakure is under his control" said Sasuke as Hiroyuki turned red.

"Insolence! How dare you come and say such humiliating things to our face boy. Morita" he said turning to his son, "Surely you see..."

"Promise me anything, you say?" asked Morita, his interest aroused as Hiroyuki gaped at him as if he'd grown a third eye. Sasuke gave a single nod as Morita rubbed his palms together.

"Can he locate a certain person for me?" asked Morita as Sasuke nodded once more.

"Morita!" yelled his father aghast, "You would hand over the leadership of our village to a madman for the sake of that wench?"

"I would do anything in the world for Reika, Chichiue" he said coldly to his father before turning to Sasuke, "Go and tell your master that I accept his offer. In return for my alliance he is to locate a certain person for me, after he has delivered her to me safely he may do whatever he wants, I couldn't care less"

Sasuke nodded yet again before turning. As he passed Karin he gave her a look. "Third floor, second room to the left" she muttered to him as he disappeared in a flash.

* * *

><p>Sakura could not believe it. She had been mistaken for a maid that this creep of a person had fallen for and been kidnapped here for that?<p>

"I see you are beginning to digest the situation you are in" said Shiki calmly as Sakura looked at her.

"This is ridiculous. If he realized I'm not the girl he's searching for then why hasn't he released me yet?" she asked as Shiki laughed, "He's probably feeling very bitter and sorry for himself right now. I've no doubt in a few hours he'll be here and try to make you his 'replacement' for Reika. I trust you understand what being that would mean?"

Sakura's eyes widened in horror and her nose crinkled slightly in disgust. _"Rot, no way in hell am I going to let myself be forced into something I don't want. If only I could muster my chakra"_ she thought feeling frustrated.

"Can you answer something else? Why am I feeling so drained of chakra? I don't sense any chakra repressions on me and neither is the wall made of any chakra sucking material. Then why do I feel as if I hardly have any chakra left?"

Shiki looked at her for sometime before turning away, "I'm afraid that's my fault. I've been slowly leaching chakra from you the moment you were put here. Those fools who trapped me don't know that I can absorb chakra from a distance. In fact nobody in Tanigakure knows that. I had been relying on absorbing chakra from my fellow mates to escape but I was never given any. But now that I've finally found someone with a decent chakra reserve..." said Shiki as a small smile appeared on her face, "I can splurge. But don't worry, I won't take any more than necessary"

"Leaching my chakra!" cried Sakura weakly as her vision began to dim, "B-but...you...can't...do...stop...now". Her words failed her as she fell aside in an unconscious slump.

"I'm sorry little girl. But this is something I need to do to escape this hellhole" said Shiki apologetically standing up and flexing her fingers when she suddenly felt a surge of chakra above her.

"_Ah, what's this? Somebody has removed Tanigakure's treasure from it's pedestal"_ she thought panicking when suddenly a smile appeared on her face. _"The village has invaders I see, how interesting. It seems I'll have to get out of here sooner than I expected"_ she thought as the shadows of the cell began rising around her.

* * *

><p>The sun was shining cruelly over Konoha as Uzumaki Naruto leaped from roof to roof and pole to pole to reach his destination as fast as possible. People who passed by beneath him stared in surprise, old people smiled fondly at him, little children sent him energetic waves. After the defeat of Pain at his hand he was a celebrated hero in the village. Some people even wanted him as Hokage right then.<p>

Naruto had not changed a bit in his glory and still remained the goofy, ramen-loving, hot-headed, but loyal and dedicated shinobi they all knew.

He leaped faster than ever before landing nimbly on the roof of his destination:The Hokage Building. He swung himself down and landed through the open window directly into Tsunade's office narrowly missing the Hokage herself and landing on Tonton.

"Naruto!" yelled Tsunade furiously as Tonton squeezed himself out from beneath Naruto's behind and ran of into the passage oink-ing for all he was worth.

"Ahh, gomen, gomen. Got a bit excited" said Naruto leaping up rubbing the back of his head as Tsunade sat down again.

"And why have you come to pester me again Gaki?" demanded Tsunade crossing her fingers and resting her chin on them.

Naruto's face turned serious again as he placed his hands on Tsunade's table, "Baa-chan, what did they decide about Sasuke at the meeting?" he asked quietly as Tsunade looked up, having expected this.

"Nothing is definite. It was collectively decided that Sasuke would first be captured as an S-Ranked Missing Ninja. After we're able to capture him then we would work out the details" said Tsunade watching the familiar angry expression on Naruto's face.

"What sort of half-assed decision is that?" he began as Tsunade lifted a hand to silence him.

"Please Naruto, you do not know the amount of embarrassment I've had to face trying to defend Sasuke. The other Kages ask me why I'm so adamant to protect him as much as I can knowing everything he's done and I don't have a concrete reply for them. Under the circumstances I feel that the three other Kages have given a lot of lenience to Sasuke so far" said Tsunade firmly.

"But..."

"No buts!" yelled Tsunade more harshly than she intended to. Naruto saw that she was really angry this time and tactfully changed the topic.

"Have you had any news from Sakura-Chan?" he asked as Tsunade's eyes softened, "I received word that they have safely crossed Takigakure and into Kusa. It won't be possible for them to send any messages while in Kusa or Tani."

"Oh" said Naruto going to the window, "Well keep me posted. And try and get some good missions for me. I'm sick of sitting around and doing nothing. Later Baa-Chan" he said jumping out of the window.

Tsunade stared after him for a little while before smiling, _"He's more like you than I realized Jiraiya"_ she thought before turning back to her paperwork.

* * *

><p>It wasn't often that Sasuke felt sorry or any form of compassion for his teammates. They were there, they were useful and thus they had to be tolerated. But seeing the condition Karin he felt a pang of guilt .<p>

They had left the mansion only to secretly sneak back in. The four of them had arrived at the room mentioned by Karin and had found it under heavy guard. Knocking out the guards hadn't been a problem, as for opening the door, well Jugo had proved sufficient for that. The problem lay in what was inside the room. They had entered fully expecting danger. The great treasure mentioned by Madara had turned out to be a ordinary-looking and crudely made clay pot which was large enough to hold a small child with it's lid held on by a thick white rope.

Using his Mangekyou Sasuke had easily deflected and deactivated every trap. They had safely reached the pot while Suigetsu and Jugo kept watch outside. Karin had touched the pot to pick it up when suddenly she had started screaming in pure agony. Sasuke had stared dumbly for a while before knocking her out with his Susanoo. Then he had noticed strange burn marks on her skin and when she had regained consciousness he had asked her what they were.

"Probably a reaction to the treasure. I suppose it will stay like this till I can get a experienced healer to look at them" she had replied, her skin much paler than before and her hands tightly clutching her cloak which told Sasuke that the wounds still hurt. The pot had not reacted again when he had touched it, probably because it had a one-system defense. But to their surprise they had found an inscription at the bottom which read that only a person with a dark chakra would be able to utilize the pot and undo it's harmful effects.

So thus they sped out of Tanigakure now, with the treasure strapped safely onto Jugo's back.

"Does it still hurt?" asked Sasuke tonelessly as Karin's eyes lit up, "Not much, just burns a little. You don't have to worry about me Sasuke-Kun!" she added flirtatiously as Sasuke mentally regretted asking the question. _"My concern is wasted on her"_ he thought flatly as they sped put of the village.

* * *

><p>Kabuto stared in glee at the five caskets in front of him. He'd had great pleasure in resurrecting the previous members of the Akatsuki and showing his power off to Madara. He glanced maliciously at Sasori and Itachi in particular.<p>

"Look at you Sasori-Sama, you who thought you could brainwash me into being your slave. Today you stand before me, a true puppet, at my beck and call" said Kabuto in his slithery voice as the dead eyes of the former Puppet-master looked expressionlessly at him.

He moved on, "Kakuzu-San, I wonder how you can live with yourself, allowing yourself to be beaten by a snot-nosed Genin. Tch, tch. Akatsuki's powers have truly faded. But worry not, under my command I'm sure you'll get the chance for revenge" he said mockingly before taking a step to the right.

"And you, Deidara? My little firecracker? Are you not feeling wonderful knowing that your mind and body belongs to me, I can do whatever I like with you whenever I like? I heard you hated being forced to do something, but I'm sure we can arrive at some compromise ne?" he asked maliciously seeing Deidara's back stiffen. Kabuto grinned, he was enjoying this so much!

"Nagato-Kun, The Might God of Amegakure, reduced to a mere puppet in my hands. I think amongst the five of you, your fall is truly the worst, truly...the worst" spat Kabuto before turning to the last casket with a grim look on his face.

"And lastly...Itachi" he said grimly as the Uchiha's dead eyes looked calmly back at him, "You killed Orochimaru-Sama, congratulations. But you might find me a little harder to crack. I've heard about your true affiliation from Madara. And I must say, all for Sasuke-Kun eh? Well now you'll have the pleasure watching me break that very Sasuke you dedicated your life to protect. Watch how I'll make him come to me for power, watch how I'll make him beg for me. Watch as I destroy his very existence."

He got no visible reaction from Itachi but knowing his nature, Kabuto very well knew that some plan to protect Sasuke was churning in the Uchiha's head. _"Well it's useless, I will have Sasuke-Kun's body and then...when I have him and his Sharingan in my grasp...I'll be invincible. In every sense of the word"_

He moved to the mouth of the cave he stood in and watched the sun set beyond the horizon. _"When I have the sharingan in my grasp nobody, Not Madara, not Itachi, not the Kage, nobody will be able to stop me. No more will I be the weak nobody that everyone beats up. I'll show each and every one of them...the might of the new Snake Sage"_

* * *

><p>Shrieks and screams broke Morita Terada from his deep slumber as he slept peacefully dreaming of the day he would have his lady love in his arms. He sat up groggily as screams of terror echoed through the mansions. Suddenly the sound of a roaring fire shook him out of his trance and he shot out of bed and ran to the door. His room opened onto a grand staircase that further led down to the lounge, offices and throne room. A scene of complete panic and pandemonium met his eyes. Maids and servants were running here in their in terror. A huge sword fly into the air and broke into two. There seemed to be shinobi fighting everywhere outside. The sounds of bombs exploding could be heard as well.<p>

"What...what on earth is going on here?" scream Morita but nobody paid the slightest heed. Instead a hall boy pushed passed him and ran off his the opposite direction.

Suddenly he felt a shadow cast over him and by sheer instinct he jumped to his left and not a moment too soon as a sharp spear made of a dark chakra rose from the ground where he stood.

"Well damn it seems I missed" came a soft yet sharp voice as Morita's eyes widened in shock and horror. The wall above him suddenly developed a ripple pattern of dark chakra and a head began appearing through it as in a portal. White hair cascaded down blocking the attackers face but Terada knew only too well who he was up against.

"Y-You...how...how did you...escape. It's not possible!" he cried as a sadistic leer appeared on the one who hung upside down.

"You time ends now Terada...I will now reclaim what is rightfully mine." said Shiki in a triumphant tone.

"Prepare for your death"

* * *

><p>I'm really sorry this chapter took so long but at least I got it out before this week's over. Hope you liked it and thanks to all who read till here. I'll try my best to get another chapter out in time.<p> 


	6. Tanigakure Arc: The Darkness Release

Chapter 6- **Tanigakure Arc: The Darkness Release Appears**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **_Before we proceed with the story I'd like for all my reader's to know how very sorry I am for not uploading this story for about two months. I've been away for almost the whole of my summer hols and therefore I put this and all my other stories on temporary hiatus. Well hopefully now that I'm back, things will be back to normal. Thank you for bearing with me and again I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused._

When Gaara arrived in Tanigakure he could hardly believe his eyes. The village was in complete panic. Civilians were running helter- skelter in terror. Amidst them a shinobi or two could be spotted heralding them out of the village or rushing through the crowds to reach a building that was burning. The building was a large mansion situated on slightly higher ground than the rest of the village thus Gaara could see it clearly. He could also feel a growing chakra from there.

"_What incredibly vile chakra"_ thought Gaara sending a sideways glance at Kakashi whose cool demeanor just went on to show that the Copy Ninja was alert and his single visible eye scanned the perimeter carefully.

"What do you think we should do Kazekage-Sama?" he asked casually as Gaara turned his attention back to the chaos.

"We should apprehend one of the shinobi first and know what is happening from them" said Gaara as Kakashi nodded and suddenly a familiar black-clothed face flashed before Gaara. A slight twitch was all Kakashi noticed before a huge claw of sand shot towards the shinobi with incredible speed. Said shinobi turned and caught sight of the attack on him however he was late to react and was soon trapped tightly in the grasp of Gaara's sand.

In the panic nobody seemed to notice that one of their shinobi had been caught by a third party. Kakashi whistled softly, _"Even I'd have had trouble evading an attack with such speed. Something seems to have riled up the Kazekage...and if I'm not incorrect, it's Sakura"_ thought Kakashi as Gaara sent him a signal to retreat and the two of them slunk back into the nearby woods with their captive.

As soon as they retreated some distance back into the woods Gaara loosened the sand slightly around his captive who started gasping for much needed air.

"Who...what...who do you...think...you are...entering..." the man was overtaken by a sudden bout of gasps and suddenly closed his eyes as if he had fainted. But Gaara recognized it as meditation, something shinobi often did to regain control of their body after a long period of captivity or being tied up or choked.

After a few minutes the shinobi regained his composure and glared mutinously at his two captives.

"It's no good you capturing me. I'd sooner die than betray my villages secrets. My troops will be coming to look for me any moment now so you people had better release me for your own good. I'll be willing to let you go off just this once" he said.

Gaara's eyes narrowed, "You talk big for one of is squirming like a little rat in the trap. Perhaps you're unaware of the international crime you have commuted by kidnapping a member of an Alliance Emissary of the Allied Shinobi Force"

Ken'ichi's eyes widened, "Allied Shinobi Forces? What...why would you be coming to Tanigakure?" he asked in confusion.

"I'm sure you know an international war is going on. To put our enemy at a disadvantage and to obtain a great deal of information in one swoop we need to reach a certain place which can. At the moment, only be accessed quietly if Tanigakure cooperates. We put forward a party led by the Kazekage here and were to arrive at Tanigakure today and request their alliance" said Kakashi, "Unfortunately things don't seem well in your village"

Ken'ichi turned his gaze to first Gaara, then the 'Shinobi' headband that all Allied Members wore and finally the gourd on his back., "Kazekage...?" he asked slowly as Gaara narrowed his teal eyes.

"Yes? What of it?" he asked irritably as numerous thoughts began running through Ken'ichi's head.

"Please...hear me out...I may be able to help you get your cooperation, but in return you'll have to help me as well" he said.

"Hmm, but first I want to know where is the girl..."

"I'm rather curious to know what you mean by that" said Kakashi casually cutting off Gaara's demand to know Sakura location. Gaara sent the masked man a deadly glare.

"I'll tell you what's going on" said Ken'ichi as he related Tanigakure's history and the usurpers Hiroyuki and Morita Terada who now sat on the throne. And of the fate of the original rulers, the Aida family.

"I see, very interesting but how does this help us?" asked Kakashi after Ken'ichi finished.

"The true ruler of Tanigakure, Aida Shiki has been kept in captivity for the last ten years. The way it is now Morita Terada will never accept your request, especially because he has accepted the offer of another" said Ken'ichi.

"Another?" asked Gaara frowning.

"I do not know his name but he was dark-haired and came with three others. He was fairly tall slim and extremely good-looking, had a pretty cold personality so I hear" said Ken'ichi as Kakashi and Gaara exchanged glances.

"_Sasuke huh? It seems Madara got wind of our plans somehow and sent Sasuke and his followers ahead to Tanigakure to get it's alliance. Now that the present leader is in Madara's hands it would be to our advantage to reinstate a different ruler who will ally themselves with us...but is this Aida Shiki trustable?" _thought Kakashi.

Ken'ichi as if reading his mind replied, "If you're worried whether Shiki-Sama will help you or not then don't be. Shiki-Sama is not the kindest of people but she's very intelligent and knows that allying with the Shinobi Nations will bring great security to Tani at this crucial juncture, that is why I beg you, please help us restore Tanigakure's true leader and get rid of the scum ruling it" said Ken'ichi humbly.

Gaara and Kakashi exchanged glances once more. Kakashi could tell the young Kage could see the benefits of the deal and wanted to act upon it but his concern for Sakura's safety was overriding it.

"Perhaps you'll tell us where you've hidden the girl you abducted earlier and why? And also perhaps you'll explain why the village is in such chaos?" asked Kakashi.

"She's hidden in the 6th level of our prison. That white building in the horizon. As for the chaos in the village...it seems somehow Shiki-Sama has escaped her captivity and is bringing down her wrath on he who has held her captive for so long" said Ken'ichi with a poorly suppressed note of glee in his voice.

"We must split up for both tasks are of equal importance" said Gaara quietly as Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"I'll look into Aida Shiki" said Kakashi as Gaara gave him a grateful look and without a word sped of towards the building pointed out to him by Ken'ichi.

"You'll come with me, maybe if she sees you're with me she won't attack on spot" said Kakashi seeing a huge explosion in the distance.

* * *

><p>"See if you can sense her chakra. Go on hurry up, hurry up" yelled a Jounin of the village rallying a platoon of Chunin towards the mansion where the prisoner had last been seen.<p>

Morita Terada and Hiroyuki sat behind them surrounded by five Jounin.

"You fool! You utter fool! What did you do to her? How did she manage to escape" hollered Hiroyuki as Terada sat with his head in his hands.

The pompous air that Morita Terada usually carried around him had vanished. Foolish though the man was he knew that neither he, nor his father stood any chance against a kunoichi of Shiki's caliber. If somehow, that despicable kekke genkai of hers starts to redevelop before they had recaptured her, he knew for sure that they were doomed.

"Get the sealing team down here. Once they capture her we must make sure her chakra is sealed away for ever. How...how is it possible that she should escape?" cried Hiroyuki.

"It's a new moon night sir" replied one of the Jounin guarding them.

"I know you dundering mongoose" cried Hiroyuki exasperatedly. "I know very well that the Aida Clan's kekke genkai and chakra rises in power during every new moon and reduces to it's normal level by full moon. But she was being restrained with chakra binders, it isn't possible" said Hiroyuki thoughtfully.

"Could it be the other prisoner somehow helped her out?" suggested another Jounin.

"Other...prisoner?" asked Hiroyuki, a dangerous shade of purple crossing his face. He turned his beady eyes to his son whose head still lay in his hands.

"You...you didn't put someone else in there with her right Morita? Speak to me, you couldn't have been that much of a simpleton could you?" demanded Hiroyuki in a soft voice before turning to a Jounin.

"What other prisoner?" he asked sharply.

"The pink haired girl that..."

"Argghhh! I knew it! I just knew it! I knew that making you the head of the clan would result in our ruin. But that fool of a woman that I call my wife yelled and screeched so I had to! I just knew it the moment you were born that I should have dashed your head into pieces with a rock." cried Hiroyuki loosing his composure.

Over the screams of the elder Terada there was a shout of fear as all the Jounin's went on alert mode, with their katanas and shurikens ready.

"Look, up there" "On that pole" "That witch, does she think we can't attack her if she's up there?"

On the pole that was being pointed at, balancing carefully stood Shiki looking very eery for the moon that rose behind her cast a silhouette and gave a silver sheen to her white hair.

"What are you gawking at you fool! Get her!" cried Morita suddenly awakening from his slump looking half crazed.

The Jounin ran towards her and surrounded the pole.

"We warn you, get down from there and surrender or else we'll have to take you down" cried the Jounin as a smile appeared on the prisoner's face. She cast her eyes at Morita who took an apprehensive step back.

"Where is the rest of the shinobi force Terada? Surely you don't run the village with just five Jounin?" she asked mockingly as Hiroyuki grit his teeth. He knew very well that the majority of the shinobi working under them were doing it out of compulsion and when this chance had come they chose not to aid them.

"You dare talk to Lord Terada like that bitch" cried one of the Jounin performing hand signs quickly and then striking the air, "_Futon: Shinku Taigyoku"_ a sphere of compressed wind shot towards Shiki. The other Jounin soon followed suit and soon the air was filled with spheres of compressed wind.

The victim leaped gracefully from the top of the pole, dodging bullet effortlessly and landed on the ground on her feet.

The moon went behind a cloud as the bangs that covered her eyes swayed in the light breeze.

"It is time for me to reclaim what is mine" she said in a low tone yet one that echoed around for a long time, a tattoo engraved on the palms of her hands began to glow as Morita and Hiroyuki stared in horror, "Meiton: Kyushu-ho" she said as a dark-gas like substance seemed out from the tattoo. She held out her palms in a Jyuken posture and the dark gas assumed a tentacle like shape and split into five different tentacles and shot with enormous speed towards the five Jounin, grabbing each of them by their neck and slowly wrapping itself around them.

The Five Jounin were lifted into the air and very soon cries of agony escaped them as the tentacle began seeping away their chakra. With every passing second it absorbed chakra and grew thicker. Soon veins appearing on it and now it resembled the trunk of a young tree rather than a tentacle.

"Her kekke genkai..." stammered Morita.

"It's...activated...by itself" said his father grimly watching helplessly as the tentacles sucked the life out of his five shinobi and then dropped their limp bodies onto the ground and retreated back to Shiki.

The chakra she absorbed could be seen spreading through her chakra system as her skin seemed translucent at that moment. An ecstatic smile slowly began appearing on her face as the chakra coursed through her body.

Then she opened her eyes and turned to the two who took several steps back.

"Don't come...any closer...you...you'll be sorry if you do" cried Morita collapsing in fear. His father, although not terrified seemed extremely uneasy and was dabbing away sweat from his forehead. He roughly grabbed his soon and pushed him back.

"Why don't you calm down Shiki-Chan. I'm sure we can work out some reasonable terms between us, can't we?You're an intelligent young lady now, please see reason" he asked in a faked soft voice.

Shiki began walking towards them slowly. Her long hair hanging down to her knees and a wide smile on her face. "Why Hiroyuki-Sama, it's so nice to see you again after all these years. Even though I kept hearing about you, you never came to visit me. My father would have wanted you to" the last bit was said so coldly that the two men felt a chill run up their spines.

"Shiki-Chan...please...it was done in a moment of madness. I never...meant to..."

"Never meant to what? Usurp the throne of Tanigakure? Kill my father, you're closest friend? Drive my brothers to madness? Keep me imprisoned for ten years? Capture the womenfolk of the village and imprison them to threaten the shinobi to work under you? Kill any child with the Meiton kekke genkai? Bribe the Daimyo into marrying his daughter off with your son? Collaborating with S-Rank criminals from all over the world? Bringing shame on the pride of my village? The list keeps flowing Hiroyuki Terada" said Shiki who was almost at their tent by now.

"I...I admit I've done many horrible things Shiki, but...but..."

"Go on, I'd be most interested to hear what excuse you can come up with" she said dangerously passing by the cowering Morita after giving him a deadly smile.

"I must kill you two right now. And I must do it painfully. I will be using my kekke genkai on you understood? I will force you to live every moment of agony as I seep your lives away. Then after you two die I will humiliate you further in death by mutilating your corpses in front of the people of the village. We will make merry and curse your reign and you two shall watch as spirits. Indeed, it will be fun won't it?" she said with a psychotic grin on her face.

Slowly she raised her hand to strike when suddenly a gloved hand appeared and grabbed it from behind her.

Shiki's eyes narrowed as she turned to face a man wearing a Jounin vest and a mask covering 3/4th of his face.

"Now, now. Let's just think this through calmly why don't we?" he said in a casual voice as Shiki's eyes narrowed so much that she might have been sleeping.

"And just who might you be?" she asked, killer instinct pouring out of her.

"Me? Oh, I'm no more than a humble Jounin" said Kakashi calmly.

* * *

><p>Sakura lay on the cold stone floor of her cell. She had somehow managed to gather enough energy to move her face sidewards so that her nose would not get crushed by her weight. Her hair fell across her face and tickled her nose when she moved but she just couldn't gather enough energy to brush them out of her eyes. Her entire body felt drained and tired. Every cell protested as she twitched aimlessly, attempting to at least get into a sitting position.<p>

After the strange woman in the opposite cell had finished draining her chakra she had stood up and sliced through the bars of her own cell with ease. She had muttered a quiet apology to Sakura promising to find her after she had finished 'butchering a few miscreants'. With that she had left and very soon deep rumbles and explosions had begun in the village above her.

Sakura wished she could see what was going on around the village. Sudden tears appeared in her eyes as she attempted to move her hand and an unbearable jolt of pain went through her spinal cord and she flopped back again.

"_Some medical-ninja I am, I can't even heal myself when the time comes."_ she thought miserably.

"**You're being to hard on yourself dearie. You can't expect to heal yourself without a iota of chakra left in you" **

Sakura sighed, she knew blocking out her Inner self would be problematic when she felt so fatigued. She prepared herself for a long lecture when suddenly there was the noise of grating metal at the end of the hallway.

The sound of footsteps put her on her guard at once. Knowing if this was an enemy she had absolutely no means of defending herself. At best if she was touched she could bite her attacker or perhaps scream for help but with the high level of chakra there did not seem any hope of that. Strangely the chakra felt familiar and warm, as if she had felt it before. Then suddenly a figure appeared blocking the moonlight and casting a silhouette over whoever stood in front of her.

The person took a step towards her...and Sakura whispered angrily, "You touch me buddy and I'll make sure you're sorry for it...I'm the apprentice to the Fifth Hokage...I know enough about a person's body to make sure they die in the most painful way possible and..."

"I doubt you will wish that fate upon your savior" said Gaara quietly kneeling down in front of Sakura with a note of amusement in his usual stoic tone.

"Gaara!" cried Sakura relief washing over her entire body as her pulse and body relaxed.

"I almost thought you were not here, you're chakra levels are practically gone" said Gaara gently placing his hand underneath her and picking her up to place her in a sitting position against the wall.

"There was a woman, in the cell opposite to me, she drained my chakra, said she needed to escape and this was the only way" said Sakura softly finding that after hours of lying down, the sudden change in posture was not affecting her body well.

"So that's how she escaped" muttered Gaara quietly as Sakura gave him a questioning look. Gaara shook his head and looked at Sakura firmly, "I'm going to take you out and see if we can find a medical ninja, you must at least have enough chakra to defend yourself" he said in a tone that left no room for argument.

Nevertheless Sakura protested as Gaara moved his hand towards her.

_"Damn, why me? Not only does he get to see me in this compromising situation but now he's going to carry me?"_ thought Sakura desperately looking around for some means of escaping what came to her. But to her surprise it was not human hands but soft sand that wrapped itself gently around her entire body save her neck and face.

"I hope the sand is not to tight for your comfort" said Gaara after a short pause as Sakura stared at him in disbelief for a few moments before giving him a curt 'No it's fine thank you'.

"**What the hell is wrong with this guy? He finds himself alone in a dark cell with a helpless girl who can't even lift a hand and all he does is wrap you up in sand?"** yelled Inner Sakura.

"_Never mind that"_ thought Sakura though in reality she agreed with her Inner self and for some strange reason felt extremely disappointed.

The sand was very soft and comfortable and after a few moment Sakura found herself enjoying the feeling of moving without her feet touching the ground. A tiny grin appeared on her face as she started moving up the stairs as the sand followed Gaara.

Gaara prided himself to be a master of not showing his emotions but after witnessing the scene behind him he had to try very hard to not give the pink-haired girl an affectionate smile. Usually people screamed in terror and agony when his sand wrapped itself around them, begged for mercy, called curse down upon him. It was a nice change to see someone enjoying it for a change. It felt good knowing it.

As they reached the outside he saw Kakashi approaching them with a still bound Ken'ichi and a subdued woman with long white hair wearing rags.

"Yo! I see you got Sakura out all right" said Kakashi cheerfully as Sakura gave him a weak grin and turned her eyes on Shiki who seemed mutinous and sulky.

"Allow me to make the introductions, Gaara, this is Aida Shiki, the true ruler of Tanigakure and Shiki-Sama this is Sabaku no Gaara, the Godaime Kazekage" said Kakashi as Ken'ichi gave an audible gasp.

Shiki merely lifted her head and gave Gaara a curt bow which could possibly also be mistaken for a slight spasm. Gaara took one step forward and spoke, "I believe we have a lot of things to explain to each other Aida Shiki"

* * *

><p>Once more I apologize for the extremely late uploading of this chapter and I hope you're not toooo mad at me (makes adorable puppy face). I hope you liked the chapter in any case. Thank you and see you guys next time.<p> 


	7. Tanigakure Arc: Negotiations and Ideals

Greetings dear readers. It's been a long time since we've last met. Flowers in the Desert has been under hiatus for the past six to seven months I believe and now since I find a long summer break ahead of me I've been thinking about reviving the story...But only if you think I should. It has been great writing this story however short it might have been and I'd love to continue but only if my readers approve. So very apprehensively I write this chapter and once its done I await your response eagerly.

* * *

><p>"<em>Okaa-san what is love?" asked the little girl of five standing amidst a field of beautiful flowers. Standing knee deep in grass the little girl turned to her mother who was stooped over a flower on the ground. Upon the little girl's question she straightened up and smiled down upon the curious toddler.<em>

"_Now where is this coming from?" she asked gently, placing a bunch of flowers into a basket. The little girl shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, "Ino-chan and the girls were talking about it today in class. Ino-Chan said every girl has to have love someday and then Kumiko-sensei scolded us!" saying so she placed another small bunch of flowers into the basket._

"_Well first of all you don't have love, you fall in love" said the mother kneeling next to her daughter as the latter gave her a puzzled look._

"_Love is a feeling which is indescribable, but since you're so curious about it I will try my best to explain okay?" said the mother as the little girl nodded enthusiastically._

"_True love is a feeling, beautiful warmth that you feel when another person is in your life. It makes you blind to everyone but him or her. It makes you think about them all the time; it makes you yearn to be with them and to always keep them safe. It's...it's...a beautiful feeling and yet it can be painful at times"_

"_Do you love Otou-San then?" asked the little girl as her mother's lips curled into a smile, "I do, very much. I love you as well. I cannot imagine my life without either of you." Replied her mother patting the young girl on the head. _

_The youngster pondered over her mother's words for a long time before piping up again, "Okaa-San, when will I fall in love? And how will I know when I have fallen in love?"_

"_You ask very deep questions child. I don't know when you might fall in love but I do know this, love can find you in the most unlikely of places. Don't doubt it or go looking for it, when it has found you, you will know on your own." Said the mother extending her hand to the girl as the child took it._

_Mother and daughter walked through the windy fields of Konoha enjoying each other's presence, the silence, the smell of the flowers and the cool touch of the evening wind._

"_When I fall in love will I be happy?" asked the youngster as the mother smiled, "If the person you love returns that sentiment then you will probably be one of the luckiest and happiest girls in the world"_

_A slow smile spread all over the face of five year old Haruno Sakura._

* * *

><p>Despite the chilliness of the night Sakura opened her eyes slowly and found her forehead and neck covered in sweat. Slowly sitting up on what looked like a crudely lain futon she looked around, not registering where she was or what had occurred. Her muscles and bones ached in protest as she forced herself to sit up and look around.<p>

She was in a tent and a fire was burning merrily outside. From the way the shadow of the flames whirled it seemed it was very stormy outside. Sakura saw she had been changed out of her tight shinobi outfit and made to wear loose fitting patient robes. More accustomed to seeing these robes on other Sakura finally realized why her patients always begged to have their own clothes back. Clearly borrowed from some hospital or medical centre the clothes smelled of the distinct smell of a hospital, a very sanitary yet unsavory smell that made Sakura wish she had her own clothes.

"You should probably avoid moving for some time" came a voice which startled Sakura and she turned to see C, the other medical ninja on their contingent. He was sitting hidden in the shadows of the tent, a bunch of papers in his lap.

"I...what happened?" asked Sakura weakly allowing C, to readjust her pillow and then lying down on them.

"You collapsed due to chakra exhaustion, it appears whoever drained your chakra drained as much as possible and only left enough for you to sustain your life. It's good that they had some medical ninja in this village or else by the time Temari-Sama, Shikamaru-San and I arrived here you might have slipped into a permanent coma, much like the one experienced by your Hokage just a few weeks ago"

"I see" muttered Sakura when a sudden vision of sand enveloping her crossed her mind, "What about the Gaa- The Kazekage? And the treaty?" she asked as C gave her a shrug.

"I have no idea; Gaara-Dono is inside with Temari-San and Shikamaru-San discussing the treaty with the new head of the village. Kakashi-San was ordered to return to the Headquarters and report our progress immediately" replied C checking Sakura's pulse for fluctuations in chakra. After five minutes he looked up, "You're fine now, there's enough chakra for you to naturally replenish yourself now, your chakra network is flowing smoothly as well"

Sakura checked out the diagnosis and then turned to give the blond shinobi a gracious smile, "Arigato C-San, it's rather embarrassing for a medical ninja to be taking up so much of your time while there are probably better things for you to do but..."

"Speaking as a fellow medical ninja there is no better thing for us to do when someone injured is around, regardless of who they are" replied C picking up a neatly folded bundle of clothes from the package he carried.

"These are a gift for you from the new head of the village. She says it's also an apology for causing the condition from which you are now recovering" said C placing the clothes beside Sakura.

"I'll give you some privacy. Please call out if you need anything at all" he said standing up and leaving the tent.

Sakura nodded politely before turning to the clothes. They were simple enough. An elegant black kimono with golden embroidery in the sides, the smooth texture of the kimono revealed it to be made of the most expensive variety of silk. A traditional obi with floral patterns and lastly a woolen cloak to keep out the cold. Sakura quickly rid herself of her patient clothes and adorned herself in those sent by the new head of the village.

_"I wonder if its that woman with silver hair_" thought Sakura as she slipped on the thick coat and took a step out. A blast of cold air sent a shiver down her spine as C and two unknown medical ninja walked up to her.

"You really shouldn't be leaving this tent now Haruno-San" muttered C unable to take his eyes off the beautifully dressed girl.

"It's really kind of the village head, but I think I'll have to get my own clothes back soon. Beautiful though these are they're not meant for the purpose of travelling through woods and fields" replied Sakura smiling at the amazed expression of the three men.

"Oh right, of course." Said C regaining his composure, "But what I meant was that you can't enter the meeting room right now and it's unsafe for you to explore this village in your current condition. We haven't yet made an assessment of the hostilities and alliances of the people" said C soft enough for Sakura to hear but not the two Tanigakure medical shinobi.

"Right, I suppose that's true. So I'll wait then. Maybe you'd like to tell me how things worked out after Gaa-The Kazekage busted me out?" she asked as C nodded and led her inside leaving the two lesser medical shinobi to gawk after them with an envious expression on their face.

* * *

><p>"My greetings to the Kazekage and his companions. I apologize for the reception you have received at the hands of my fellow villagers. I must also apologize for my conduct towards one of your contingent, however I'm sure considering the situation you realize this was a most opportune moment." Said Shiki staring into the impassive face of the young Kazekage. The moment their eyes connected similar thoughts passed in their minds.<p>

"_Slippery and unscrupulous. A bad combination, I'm not sure if this is going to turn out good"_ thought Gaara staring impassively into the emancipated yet deceptively humble face of Aida Shiki.

"_Damned poker faced brat. A good slap would get an expression out of him all right" _thought Aida Shiki staring into the deadpan stare of the Kazekage.

"Yes well, I'm sure you did what was best for your village" replied Gaara silently, "However without wasting any more time I would like to put forth the proposal we have arrived to make to the head of Tanigakure. I suppose your initiation is official?"

"Naturally, naturally. You have nothing to fear Kazekage now that I am holding the reigns," replied Shiki, a satisfied tone creeping into her words during the last bit.

"I should hope so. Now, as you are probably unaware Uchiha Madara who runs the criminal organisation Akatsuki has declared war upon the Five Great Shinobi nations. We the Five Kage have joined forces to create a United Shinobi Alliance and have begun preparations for the war" said Gaara as Shikamaru placed a large map before him.

"Through our intelligence forces we have determined the rough location of Madara's hideout to be somewhere in the northeaster region of the Land of Rivers. As such..."

"Your only option to stealthily approach his hideout is through Tanigakure since the uncrossable desert and the oceans make it impossible to cross otherwise and Amegakure is said to be an Akatsuki outpost, am I correct?" asked Shiki with a knowing look in his eyes.

"Yes" replied Gaara silently impressed at the presence of mind of the woman who sat before him.

"And therefore you have arrived in Tanigakure offering us a partnership in the alliance which will enable you to use our village to pass through to the Madara hideout without any resistance" said Shiki in a dry tone to which Gaara equally drily replied "That is correct".

Shiki closed her eyes as if considering the proposal very carefully and after two minutes of uncomfortable silence she opened her eyes, "Even if I am to agree, how does it benefit my village? We grant you passage that means automatically we become part of the war against Madara. We are not as prosperous or powerful as the five great villages, nor do we have the economic conditions to accommodate such a war. After the war is over and our village is probably destroyed what guarantee is there that the five great nations will not leave us to our devices or worse, simply take over Tanigakure?"

Temari gave an inaudible sigh, even though she had anticipated that the process would not be an easy one for Tanigakure had nothing to gain from the alliance. On the other hand if a war began Tanigakure would definitely have to take part and in the process would lose what little shinobi force it had and whatever meager economic resources they possessed presently.

"You raise some very valid points Shiki-Sama, I will be happy to open up any negotiations you happen to have in mind" said Gaara mutinously as a cruel smile spread over Shiki's face.

"I was hoping you would say that Kazekage-Sama, you see I have already thought out a few things I'll be requiring in return for my allegiance. Perhaps we could discuss them over some divine sake?"

Gaara looked up apprehensively at the feral grin on the silvette's face, "I'm underage"

* * *

><p>After C had finished explaining to her exactly what had occurred in the village Sakura had pondered over the matter for a very long time before fatigue overtook her and at C's insistence she consented to taking a short nap.<p>

When her eyes slowly fluttered open the kindly medical ninja from the cloud wasn't in the room but the soft sound of someone breathing could still be heard.

"You're awake" stated Gaara staring at Sakura with his blue-green eyes.

At first Sakura nodded and then realising who she was talking to she sat up abruptly only to groan as a sharp pain flashed through her head.

"C has advised you to rest for another four hours at least before we can resume our journey back to the Land of Iron with the village head and her troops" said Gaara quietly as Sakura nodded.

"How long was I out?" she asked quietly.

"Half a day"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, "But...but I only intended to take a short nap. How did..."

"It goes to show the level of energy you have right now. C is primarily a sensor shinobi and his expertise in medical ninjutsu is not very good. He believes that he underestimated the malicious ability of the chakra draining technique. Once we reach the Land of Iron you must get yourself checked by the Hokage" replied Gaara intently gazing at the bedridden girl.

"This is so embarrassing not to mention humiliating. I'm supposed to be treating you and here I am lying on the bed down with chakra exhaustion" groaned Sakura in a frustrated voice.

"Hardly your fault. That woman has been waiting ten years just for a chance like this and you were an opportunity she couldn't allow to escape from her grasp" said Gaara distastefully as Sakura looked up.

"How...how did the negotiations go?" she asked as Gaara closed his eyes and let out a small sigh of consternation.

"Not too good I'm afraid. She agreed to an alliance but on some outrageous conditions that I alone have no authority to agree to. Therefore we're to escort her back to the Land of Iron where we can discuss things with Mifune-San and the other Kage" said Gaara, "But more importantly, exactly how are you feeling right now?"

"Really Gaara-Kun, I'm fine. My head aches a little but that's a very common characteristic of chakra exhaustion, I'll be ready to begin the journey in a few minutes if you'll..."

"We will begin our journey when C-San believes you are fit to travel again" said Gaara curtly as Sakura's face fell.

Realizing he may have hurt her sentiments he spoke in a gentler voice, "I do not wish for my body to be broken into pieces by the Hokage for putting your life in any jeopardy"

Sakura's face brightened a little as she gave him a tired smile before shutting her burning eyes once more.

* * *

><p>"It's an honour having you back with us Shiki-Sama" said Ken'ichi as the entire shinobi force of Tanigakure knelt before the newly instated village head. Behind them stood the common villagers of the village staring up at Shiki with a mixed expression of awe and joy.<p>

"My fellow villagers, there is no joy comparable to the joy of being back amidst you all once more. Tyranny, cruelty, greed and ignorance have kept us captives for the past ten years since the fall of my father. As you know a war greater than any heard of before, rages outside the borders of our village and today the five great ninja nations turn to us for assistance. At this crucial juncture I, with your blessings and regards am accepting the title and duty that should have been bestowed upon my brothers but due to ill-fate, didn't. Today before you all I stand with a promise, a promise to lead Tanigakure into an age of prosperity. No more will we be oppressed. No more will the five great nations use power tactics to trick us and deprive of of our lawfully gained wealth. No more will we be considered weak. Today marks the beginning of the rise of Tanigakure. And on this auspicious occasion I put forward a question. Are you with me?" she paused dramatically holding out her hand as the entire audience erupted in shrieks and screams 'We're with you through the end Shiki-Sama' 'Long Live Shiki-Sama' 'All Hail Shiki-Sama'

After a few more announcements Shiki bowed to her people and turned back and entered her room here Gaara sat with Temari and Shikamaru on either side.

As she sat down in front of them and ordered tea to be served Gaara spoke, "A very touching speech you gave out there Shiki-San. But you'll excuse me if I say I don't think you meant quite all of it" he said silently as Shiki wordlessly poured out the tea and offered him a cup.

"What you must realise Kazekage –Sama, is that we are not a nation like Konoha or Kumo whose riches are overflowing in the vaults. We, who are the smaller nations can only afford to be idealistic in our dreams and words, not in our actions because, speaking as one realist to another, we do not have the power to do so" said Shiki stirring the tea as the sound of the metal spoon hitting the porcelain cup echoed through the room.

"These people out there have been tortured and mislead by Teradas for ten years. Under your leadership do you not think they deserve to have truth spoken to them and not half baked ideals?" asked Gaara sternly as Temari gave him a strained look. Relationships with Aida Shiki were already shaky.

To everyone's surprise though Shiki broke into a small bout of laughter, once she was done she took a sip from her tea, "You do have a very honest personality Kazekage. Perhaps that is why the crumbling condition of Sunagakure has been steadily improving ever since you have taken command" she said coldly meeting Gaara's glare.

"It's as I told you Kazekage-Sama the truth will only succeed in discouraging the people who have been oppressed for the past ten years. Right now they are reuniting with their families, reveling in their freedom. Now is the time that their enthusiasm is soaring, and thus now is the time that we must act. I'm sure you do things differently in your village but I do assure you that this is an effective tactic" said Shiki taking another long sip of her tea.

_"In other words mind your own business and let me run my show my own way"_ thought Temari as Gaara finished his tea and set his cup down with a quiet finality in his posture.

Shikamaru sighed in relief that Naruto was not on this trip with them. The words spoken just now would have guaranteed an enormous outburst from him.

"Unfortunately I cannot bring myself to agree with your tactics Shiki-San, however being the leader of Tanigakure I'm sure you do whatever is best for your village. We will be leaving in about an hour and half, I do hope you can be ready by then" he said getting up and leaving without a word, Temari and Shikamaru in close pursuit.

Sitting in the half dark room still drinking her tea a smile curled the lips of Shiki as she too set down her cup, "Just you watch Kazekage. This is only the beginning, under my command Tanigakure will reach heights never even thought of before. And then it will be I who shall bestow righteous advice on you." She said quietly as a small black orb formed over her middle finger and floated like a bubble towards Gaara's cup. It settled down inside it and corroded away the cup leaving no traces behind.

"Just you wait Kazekage. This is only the beginning..."

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><p>Well? That's it for this chapter. I'm anxiously awaiting the sort of feedback I'll be getting so please let me know what you feel.<p> 


	8. Land of Iron Arc: The Tea Party

Chapter 8: Negotiations Arc: The Tea Party

The halls of Mifune's palace were beautifully decorated with paintings crossed swords, enclaves with samurai busts, statues and swords on display. Despite the raging blizzard that perpetually surrounded the Land of Iron and made up its primary line of defence the palace was heated to a very comfortable temperature and one often found themselves dozing off if inactive for prolonged periods of time.

As Sakura walked down the curved hallway to meet Tsunade she halted suddenly. Coming from the other side was the white haired woman followed by two guards being lead by Mifune's chief of staff to their rooms. Upon seeing the pinkette, Shiki clasped her hand together.

"Oh, Ken'ichi, this is the unfortunate girl, am I right? I can barely recognize you in the light of course your pink hair is a dead giveaway. I've been itching to talk to you ever since our...unfortunate first meeting. Would you do me the honour of coming with me to my room and having some tea with me, you're underage I'm sure so sake's a no-no. Oh please say yes" said Shiki, pumping Sakura's hand enthusiastically as the medical ninja protested feebly.

"I'm supposed to report to Tsunade-Sama at once, so I'm afraid it's going to be impossible right now. Umm some other time perhaps?" she suggested weakly as the energetic Shiki's shoulders slouched.

"Well isn't that just too bad. Oh well, I suppose you're free in the evening correct? Very well then I'll send Ken'ichi to escort you to my quarters. You've met Ken'ichi haven't you?" she said gesturing to the black robed young man standing behind her with a stoic expression on his face.

"Yes, we've 'met'" muttered Sakura as a ghost of a smile crossed Ken'ichi's face.

"Splendid, we'll see you in the evening then. I do hope you liked the clothes I sent you. Traditional Tanigakure festival wear made with only the very best of fabric." Said Shiki proudly as Sakura nodded.

"They were beautiful. Thank you very much for your generosity" she said bowing as Shiki nodded and then abruptly dropped her hand and followed the samurai escorting them. Ken'ichi nodded amiably as he crossed her. The other guard, a large man who could give the Raikage completion in the gruff appearance simply walked past her as if she didn't exist.

Sakura stared after the trio for a while before turning back and heading to Tsunade's room. Already she could hear raised voices as she knocked loudly.

"If that's you Shikaku you can stay the hell outside" bellowed the Hokage as Sakura opened the door and peeked in apprehensively.

Seeing the familiar pink hair Tsunade's enraged eyes softened, "Oh, it's you. Come in Sakura" she said setting down an extra large bottle of sake that Shizune seemed to have been attempting to wrestle away from her...a futile attempt of course.

"Sit down Sakura" said Tsunade throwing the empty bottle behind her to join several other bottles. Despite the massive amount of sake consumed by the Hokage she didn't seem the least bit tipsy. From experience Sakura new that Tsunade could drink a truckload of sake and only feel a little confused. It was the hangover the next morning that one had to look out for. A splitting heachache, coupled with a sour taste in the mouth tripled with Shizune's 'I told you so' and disapproving look would drive the Hokage up the wall and the glass repairers would often be sent for because she liked to throw people who annoyed her straight out of the large glass window behind her desk. Mostly it was Naruto but sometimes Shizune, Genma, Tonton and even Kakashi had been part of this treatment. Of course Gai had taken even this as a completion and had often jumped right out of the window. Of course this only meant that the window repairers had two holes to fix instead of one.

Now as Sakura sat down before Tsunade the older woman cast an appraising glance over her apprentice.

"Hm, you look fairly okay. According to this report I've received from the medical guy from Kumo you suffered from complete chakra exhaustion induced by a jutsu am I right?" asked Tsunade reading through the report sent by C and crossing her legs.

"Hai, I'm still not sure about the nature of the jutsu but Gaa...Kazekage-Sama said that C-San underestimated the malicious ability of the jutsu" said Sakura as Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Malicious eh? Hm, I think I'd like to check it out" she said getting up, she walked over to Sakura and placed a hand on her forehead. Very soon a gentle green aura reverberated through Sakura's mind and she felt the little pains of her body, joints slipping away.

"_Tsunade-Sama is amazing. She's healing me without even trying or intending to"_ thought Sakura a comfortable smile spreading over her face. Suddenly Tsunade's eyes shot wide open and she pulled back her hand as if she's touched burning hot lava.

"What happened?" asked Shizune as Tsunade held up her hand for silence and retreated to the back of the room, her eyes closed. Shizune and Sakura exchanged glances. They knew when Tsunade was concentrating she did not like being disturbed. Finally the Hokage turned and sit down.

"Well this is unexpected" she said staring directly into Sakura's green eyes.

"What is?" demanded Sakura as Tsunade sighed.

"You were affected by a Meiton jutsu" said Tsunade as Shizune gasped slightly.

"Meiton? Is that a chakra nature? I've never heard of..."

"Of course you haven't because never in Konoha or its neighbouring villages has a Meiton user ever been born. In fact since the time of the Sage of Six Paths the total number of Meiton-jutsu using clans I can count off one hand. If what Kakashi says is true and Aida Shiki was the one who did this to you then it's safe to assume the Aida clan is one of those Meiton-using clans" said Tsunade gravely.

"Meiton. Darkness Release. I remember now. Kakashi-Sensei and Yamato-Taicho mentioned it to Naruto once when he was undergoing his elemental jutsu training back in Konoha. They said sometimes chakra nature manipulated themselves into freak combinations resulting in jutsus based of darkness, swift, storm etc. They're mostly classified as Hiden Jutsu aren't they?" asked Sakura.

"Correct. And which is the most famous Hiden jutsu using clan in Konoha?" asked Tsunade as Sakura's eyes widened.

"The Nara Clan" she said as Tsunade nodded.

"It has long been said that the Nara clan's shadow jutsus are mutations of the original Meiton jutsus. Apparently a member of Meiton clan defected from his village and took refuge in Konoha before the rule of the First Hokage. He developed the rudimentary Nara-clan techniques based on the abilities of his Meiton power. Over the years the jutsus developed into their own particular brand of Hiden jutsus and are now the signature jutsus of the Nara" said Tsunade as Sakura listened attentively.

"Overtime the original Meiton-users decreased. The maximum amount of Meiton users were to be found in the lands that are today Konoha, Iwa and the country of Swamps. Daimyo's often hired the Meiton users as assassins because of their stealthy killing methods, disinterest in political alliances and weakness towards money. At one point after the formation of the five great villages a group of mercenaries consisting only of Meiton users emerged in the past. They wreaked havoc on the political scenario since one Daimyo would hire the group with his wealth and assassinate the Daimyos around his land and then lead his shinobi in to take over the lands. Finally the Kages got together and assembled a force of their own to hunt down this group and they succeeded in doing so. Since then only a handful of Meiton users have been born and it appears the Aida clan is one such clan" said Shizune as Tsunade nodded.

"If Aida Shiki's entire clan is a Meiton using clan then they have been keeping their secret extremely well. But it is also possible that the ability to manipulate chakra and use Meiton exists only in _her_ as a freak mutation. We won't know unless she consents to being examined which is very unlikely" said Tsunade, "In any case while all this is very interesting what's significant is that your chakra was drained using a particular Meiton jutsu and the jutsu was such that the process of regaining chakra naturally has become very slow. I believe that is what C meant when he spoke of its malicious intent" said Tsunade as Sakura nodded.

"That's true I guess. I still feel a little sluggish and i usually regain chakra very fast"

"Not to worry though. I've fixed the adverse effects of the jutsu. You should be gaining chakra normally as we speak. If you still feel anything in the morning Shizune and I will carry out a complete chakra replenishment session on you. Can't have my assistants bedridden at this juncture" said Tsunade gently as Shizune gave her a smile.

"And what of the negotiations? Gaara-Kun mentioned that she was raising some outrageous demands?" asked Sakura as Tsunade shrugged.

"We haven't held the meeting yet. In fact I haven't even seen her yet. Mifune-Dono has some urgent issue to attend to so it's been decided that the meeting will be held tomorrow".

The three of them spoke for a little longer. Tsunade informed her of Naruto's condition and they also talked of the other Kages. Finally as darkness fell Sakura remembered Shiki's invitation and got up.

"She absolutely insisted on inviting me to tea. I guess I should go. It might coax her into being a bit amiable tomorrow" said the pinkette laughing as Tsunade nodded.

"Of you go then. Make sure to report back to me tomorrow if you're still feeling off. And don't overexert yourself. Go right to bed after dinner"

"Hai" said Sakura bowing and leaving.

As soon as the girl left Shizune's lips curled into a grin, "Did you notice?" she said in an amused voice.

Tsunade nodded, a slow grin spreading over her face too, "She covered up the first few times but she slipped towards the end. It's already 'Gaara-Kun' is it? I wonder if things are as platonic between the Kazekage and my apprentice as they seem on the outside?" wondered the blond as ideas began formulating in her mind.

* * *

><p>Sakura knocked tentatively on the bamboo door of the room that had been given to Shiki. The sound of running feet was heard and the door flung open.<p>

"Haruno-San, how punctual you are. Do come in, come in, don't be shy now" shrieked Shiki taking Sakura by the arm and practically flinging the younger girl into the room.

To her surprise she saw she wasn't the only one there. An uncomfortable silence hung around a table surrounding which sat Temari, one of the Tsuchikage's bodyguards Kurotsuchi, C and Chojuro, one of the Mizukage's guards.

"Sit down, sit down. As you can see I'm hosting a small party. I invited Shizune-San too but unfortunately she has urgent business to attend to and I'm sure Tsunade-Sama and Mei-Sama need their rest before tomorrow's meeting" said Shiki leading Sakura to place between Temari and C.

"Would you like green tea, herbal tea or lemon tea?" asked Shiki as Sakura spoke up, slightly overwhelmed by the speed with which the silver haired woman spoke, "Green tea, thank you"

"You heard her Ken'ichi, serve Sakura some green tea and get her some of those fantastic samurai made dango. You don't mind if I call you Sakura do you?" asked the older woman as Sakura shook her head, from the corner of her eye she saw Kurotsuchi smirk.

"Now that we're all here the party can really begin. It's been such a pleasure having you all here and I'm so grateful to you all for making time out of your busy schedules to attend my little gathering" said Shiki taking her place at the head of the table.

From the looks on everyone's faces it was evident none of them had the least wish to be attending this party but yet they had come, for the same purpose Sakura had come, to ensure that the meeting tomorrow went well and that the leader of Tanigakure took no offense.

"Of course it's the least I could do for Sakura in the light of what I did to her. I've already sent my heartfelt apologies to Tsunade-Sama and Kazekage-Sama but I do hope there's no hard feelings between us Sakura-Chan?" said Shiki a look of convincing remorse in her eyes.

"Of course Aida-Dono, I don't..."

"Oh please call me Shiki; we're all friends aren't we?" said Shiki as Sakura laughed nervously.

"Yes, umm, well as I was saying. I completely under...Oh, thank you" said Sakura as Ken'ichi placed a tray of warm green tea and plate full of delicious dango in front of her and bowed respectfully.

"If you're done here you can leave Ken'ichi" said Shiki, the causal warmth lost in her tone for a moment.

The black-clad young man bowed and silently left the room. Somewhere Sakura felt a stirring of pity for the young man, the way Shiki treated him reminded her of the awful way she herself had treated Naruto when they were in Team Seven.

"Right so as I was saying I'm so honoured you took time to come Temari-San, you must be very busy indeed what with protecting the Kazekage and formulating diplomatic treaties and such stuff" said Shiki pouring some more tea into Temari's cup.

"Yes well, my brothers don't actually require any protection as such. As for the political treaties my partner Shikamaru from Konoha is long due in his part" said Temari jovially, although Sakura who knew Temari's usually gruff exterior knew that she was simply putting on a friendly act for the benefit of their host.

Shiki smiled brightly and turned to the shy young Chojuro sitting opposite to Temari, "As for you Chojuro-San, it's really a pleasure meeting you, I've always wanted to meet a member of the Seven Swordsmen. Although you're the only member right now, it's rather magnificent isn't it? You're like some last standing hero. Ha, ha, ha" said Shiki as Chojuro laughed nervously and Kurotsuchi looked away in disgust.

"What do you make of all this?" whispered C as Sakura whispered back, "Apart from feeling a little sick, nothing short of annoyed"

C smiled, "Oh by the way, how are you feeling?" he asked quietly as Sakura smiled, "Much better thanks. Tsunade-Sama healed me in an instant"

"I'm so sorry I couldn't have been of more use" said C a sad look crossing his face as Sakura protested, "There's absolutely no need for you to apologize. In fact it should be me who should apologize for all the trouble I've caused you" said Sakura.

"No trouble at all. In fact, it was my pleasure" replied the blond shinobi when they noticed that every other member of the table was watching them intently.

"So, C-San, how is it working for the Supreme Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces?" asked Shiki with a benevolent look at C and Sakura.

Sakura sighed and the tea party continued till much later than she had originally thought and finally when it was completely dark outside did Kurotsuchi stretch her legs and got up.

"Sorry I've got to get going. Old man gets pissed if I'm not there to pacify him half the times. It's been great and everything." She said as Shiki stood up, "Of course Kurotsuchi-San, I'm afraid I've kept all of you far too long. It's just been so long since I've interacted with people" said Shiki, walking Kurotsuchi to the door. Somewhere Sakura noticed under the polite host act a genuine feeling in the last few words spoken by Shiki.

Eventually they all rose to leave and Shiki stood by the door smiling and bidding everyone good night and a good dinner.

As Sakura passed by she took her hand, "I do hope things genuinely are fine between us Sakura-San?" she said as Sakura nodded, "It's okay Shiki-San, I understand you did what you had to do and I assure you I hold no grudges"

After getting her hand nearly pumped off Sakura was allowed to leave and once the door closed she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Taxing wasn't it?" said Temari who was leaning against the opposite wall with C standing next to her.

"Sure was, but god, is she a confusing character. It's like one moment I can make out she's just pretending but the other moment I'm thinking 'was she pretending or am I just being paranoid and rude'?" replied Sakura as Temari grinned and nodded.

"I've got to get back. Gaara's probably fuming at the mouth. See you two later" said the blonde haired woman as she started down the passage.

"I thought I'd walk you down to your room, I don't think any of us can digest dinner after the amount of tea we've consumed" said C holding his stomach.

"Thanks. I don't think I could handle dinner either. I might pop in later for a little snack though" said Sakura as she and C walked down the passageway.

Walking in the opposite direction Temari turned and saw the two laughing and joking, _"Well this won't do. Sakura's seeing too much of him and too little of Gaara. C's so nice compared to Gaara that Sakura might just change her mind. Well not while I'm around. Temari Onee-Sama will get those two together no matter what." _Thought Temari, rubbing her hands together and walking off in the opposite direction, her mind buzzing with ideas as well.

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><p>Thanks for all the reviews and favourites and followings I got for the last chapter. I'm really touched by the support you guys showed. I've decided I'd like to continue this story because I'm growing really attached to it. We'll see more of GaaraxSakura in the next chapter. Until then, Sayonara!<p> 


	9. Land of Iron Arc: The Meeting

Chapter 9:

The winds howled mercilessly around the 'room' that Uchiha Sasuke sat in. A crude shelter built from the bone of some large animals in the Mountain's Graveyard he sat awaiting Tobi. Behind him sat Karin, Jugo and Suigetsu. In front of him sat what they had visited the Terada mansion to obtain.

After five minutes Tobi entered the room.

"How went the mission?" he questioned shortly as Sasuke nodded, "We've managed to obtain the loyalty of the leader of Tanigakure for practically no price at all" said Sasuke.

"Have you now?" asked Tobi coldly and tilted his head towards the pot lying in front of Sasuke.

"Kohaku no Johei" said Karin evenly, "One of the Sage of Six Path's five treasured tools and a frighteningly powerful weapon"

"One that seems to have affected you rather badly" stated Tobi pointing to Karin's bandaged hands which where stained red with blood.

"Oh well, I'll get one of our healers to look into it" she said brushing it off as Tobi kneeled beside the clay pot. Suddenly the four saw him stiffen and pick up the pot.

"Careful, don't touch it or..." Karin's warning came too late as Tobi picked up the pot with his bare hand. Strangely enough the strange burn marks did not come up on his skin. Quivering with anger he picked up the pot and threw it directly at Karin.

The red-haired girl gave a surprised squeaked as Jugo grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the pot's path as it hit the wall behind her and shattered into a million tiny pieces.

"Aww, man, Jugo. Why'd you have to go and rescue her?" spoke Suigetsu after a long silence that followed. Sasuke turned to look at Tobi.

"An ancient treasure of the Sage of Six Paths does not break in contact with bones of animals not dead longer than thirty to forty years" said Tobi his usually calm voice quivering with suppressed anger.

"This...this is a fake?" muttered Sasuke picking up a piece of the pot.

"A darn good one but yes, it's a bloody fake but I would have expected someone of your caliber to make out what is real and what is not" said Tobi, "Not to mention you messed up on the other account as well. The man you made your allegiance with within Tanigakure was usurped from his position just an hour after you left. And what's more, the Allied Forces have even managed to secure an audience with the new leader. It's pitiful Sasuke, I gave you two simple things to do and you failed me miserably on both accounts." Said Tobi turning and leaving the room, banging the door shut.

The masked man stalked furiously through the hallways when a snide voice floated after him, "Something wrong, Tobi-San?" whispered Kabuto, a triumphant look on his reptilian features.

"Nothing is wrong Kabuto-San. But I have some urgent business to attend to so if you'll excuse me" growled Tobi and walked off before Orochimaru's former apprentice could reply.

After the Masked Uchiha had left Kabuto's smile widened, "Your plans are falling apart Tobi-San. Very soon you'll have to hand Sasuke's body over to me and then the sharingan will be mine. And then knowing whom I have revived your plans have become disturbed. Perhaps you haven't noticed yet Tobi-San, but this war is already in my hands"

Saying so he disappeared into the shadows of the darkened hallway.

* * *

><p>"I'm extremely honored to welcome all of you back in my palace" announced Mifune at his political best, "It has been a great honour for me to play host to the most powerful shinobi in the shinobi world. And I welcome you all back to session three of the Allied shinobi forces"<p>

Saying so he sat down, "Today I would also like to welcome a new guest amidst us, Aida Shiki-Sama from Tanigakure. I have here with me a report presented by Kazekage-Sama of the mission to Tanigakure. Several disturbing facts have been brought out through this report which I will consent to read out later" said Mifune.

"_Hm, you mean you'll consent to reading it out before me only if I'm part of the Alliance and not otherwise" _thought Shiki giving the moderator a big smile as if she completely understood and sympathized.

"Now Kazekage-Sama, your report please" requested Mifune as Gaara stood up.

"As discussed in our previous meeting we had to find a way to infiltrate Madara's hideout in the stealthiest way possible. On orders from the Raikage I assembled a team consisting of five shinobi and lead them to Tanigakure through Takigakure and Kusagakure. Very briefly I shall discuss the events in Tanigakure. We arrived to find the village in complete chaos, one of our medical ninja Haruno Sakura-San from Konoha had been kidnapped. Our forces were also split up, because to avoid nukenin attacks. When Hatake Kakashi-San and I arrived in Tanigakure we discovered from a shinobi of the village that it was a dispute between the past and present heads of the clan. While I set out in search for our missing member, Kakashi-San went to confront the perpetrator and found Aida Shiki-San, after peace was made we took the previous leaders prisoner and resolved the situation by placing Aida-San as the leader of the village" said Gaara and sat down.

Mifune nodded, "Very well, now does anyone have anything to say?"

Onoki gave Gaara a sidelong stare, "This is why we cannot have a youngster like the Kazekage taking up positions of responsibility" he said disapprovingly as Mei glared at him, " And just what has the Kazekage done to deserve that ?" she asked acerbically.

"I think what Tsuchikage-Dono meant, Mizukage-Dono, was that Kazekage-San chose to go after a single shinobi instead of placing the mission first and checking out the situation. His actions, while admirable under normal circumstances, were confusing in this situation seeing as he was accompanied by a shinobi from Konoha who was not only Sakura-San's former teacher but also far better to be sent to her rescue. That way Kazekage-San himself would have been free to check out the situation and deal with things" said Shiki, her head bowed respectfully and a demure smile on her face.

Onoki nodded, "A fine explanation Aida-San" he said, a poorly suppressed note of glee in his voice.

Mei glared at the older man in frustration but did not say anything for she knew that what had been said was both logical and correct. Her eyes turned to Gaara who did not seem the least affected by the Tsuchikage and Shiki's verbal attacks on him.

"In any case," began Mifune, "No one was harmed and all went well and I'm sure we can be thankful to the Kazekage and his team for that. Let us now begin with the purpose of our meeting"

Shiki now looked up, the demure smile gone from her face, replaced with a hard smirk.

"If I may be so bold, I'd like to begin our discussion as to Tanigakure's alliance with the Allied Shinobi Forces" said Shiki as Mifune looked at her and nodded, sitting down and placing his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his folded hands.

"At the request of Kazekage-San, I accompanied his party from Tanigakure to discuss this matter. You may all be wondering what was the need to do so but as much as it breaks my heart to say this, in current circumstances I see no possible way for Tanigakure to ally ourselves with the Allied Forces."

Tsunade banged her hand on the table, "So you came all this way to tell us just that? Do you think the Five Kage and Mifune-Sama have nothing better to do than sit here and listen to..."

"I have not yet finished speaking Respected Hokage" said Shiki in a tone that would be better suited for a judge sentencing someone to death, "While I have the utmost respect for your...passion, I would prefer being fully heard out before being accused of wasting your time". Her tone changed into the fake, genial one she usually used, "Of course I wouldn't dream of doing that though"

Tsunade clenched her fist and sat down, Mei gave her a sympathetic look as Mifune cleared his voice, "Please continue Aida-Sama"

"Thank you Mifune-Dono. As I was saying in current circumstances it would be impossible for me to ally myself with you. I myself have been out of touch with the proceedings of the world for the past ten years. I have to adjust myself and I am trying my best to do so, but at the end of the day I am only human like everyone else present here. Let us be very frank and logical, yes? What are the advantages of me allying with you? The allied forces get to add a couple of shinobi to their ranks. I get to lose what few shinobi force I have left in the rages of war. The Allied Shinobi gets to safely enter Madara's hideout. I get to have my village and my villagers' safety compromised should war break out just then. Should we win the war the Allied Forces get to return to their villages in triumph and continue on as if nothing happened. I get to return to a village with no shinobi and no villagers and plough fields? From my end it doesn't seem like a fair deal to me" said Shiki as the air reverberated with uncomfortable silence.

After five minutes of silence Mifune once more cleared his throat, "Well does anyone have anything to say?"

The Raikage spoke up first, "I see your point and I admit some issues you raise are valid. Rest assured that your villagers and village will be defended with utmost diligence by some of the best in our forces"

"That is very magnanimous of you Raikage-Dono but pardon me if I say it is not enough" said Shiki quietly.

"You said you had some demands to make when I first spoke to you" said Gaara as Shiki's ash grey eyes turned to him, "Perhaps you could make them now and we'd see what we could do to fulfil them?"

A slow smile now spread over Shiki's lips, "Certainly Kazekage-San but you seem to be slightly mistaken. I have no _demands_ to make as such. Who am I? A mere third-level village leader with practically no power, to make demands of the Five Kage? All I have are a few _requests_ to make and should they be fulfilled not only would I be infinitely grateful and indebted but they will benefit me and my village as well. Also should they be met there is no doubt we would find ourselves better equipped to join forces with you"

"_In other words, you're going to blackmail us into giving into your 'requests' and then you'll join us" _thought Gaara mutinously as Mifune nodded for her to go on.

"My first request is to Tsunade-Dono" said Shiki turning to the blonde woman sitting next to her, "My request is that the highly respected clan of the Nara who have flourished for so long in Konoha be returned to its former and original home of Tanigakure"

At this Tsunade let out a sharp gasp as the usually bored Shikaku who stood behind her practically had his mouth fall open wide.

"You seem shocked. But correct me if I'm wrong Tsunade-Sama do not the laws made by the Daimyos and your respected Grandfather Shodaime Hokage Hashirama-Dono dictate that clans may migrate to Konoha as they see fit but not without the consent of the clan leaders. The Nara clan descends from the Yamikiri clan who are famous in Tanigakure for their manipulation of shadows using Meiton. The Yamikiri clan also happens to be a subsidiary clan of the Aida clan, whose current leader is me Aida Shiki, and thus it is my wish that the Nara bloodline be returned to Tani"

"You have no idea what you're talking about" yelled Tsunade, "Despite it being true that the Nara clan had originated from Tanigakure they are now a legal and loyal clan of Konoha and have been so for the past eight generations. You have no right to ask these men and women to leave their homes and settle in Tanigakure." Said Tsunade.

"You seem to have misunderstood me Tsunade-Dono. I ask not for your men and women, but what I want is the bloodline of the Yamikiri and the Nara to return to my village. For that purpose I suggest only a few members of the Nara clan shift to Tanigakure in the future. Once the bloodline of the clan has been firmly established in my village they are free to choose to remain there or return to Konoha. That seems to be a fair deal to me" said Shiki calmly watching Tsunade's temper rise further.

"The hell it does, who do you..."

"If I may, Hokage-Sama?" said Shikaku placing a hand on Tsunade's shoulder as the elder lady calmed down and nodded.

"I am Nara Shikaku, current head of the Nara clan and tactical advisor to the Raikage for the war. I hear your request Aida-Sama and I give you my word that once the war is over I will willingly send over any number of men to live in Tanigakure and establish the bloodline as you desire" he said stiffly.

"Shikaku!" said Tsunade in protest as the scarred man shook his head, "We are at war Tsunade-Sama. There are bigger things involved and the alliance with Tanigakure is very important. I do not want our world destroyed because we Nara were too uptight to consent. As clan leader you have my full permission to go right ahead"

Tsunade shut her eyes in consternation and when she opened it, her brown eyes bore a hole into Shiki's grey ones, "Fine we accept your request" she said grudgingly.

"Splendid. I am most grateful for your co-operation Tsunade-Dono and yours Shikaku-San" said Shiki now turning to the Raikage.

"My next request is of you Raikage-Sama. Kumogakure has the most well-trained and vast military force of the Five Nations. As such the financial situation of Kumogakure is also flourishing. I require money to rebuild my village to its former glory, hire shinobi, pay for weapons and scrolls, I would like Kumogakure to sponsor these endeavors and a few more that I may have in the future" said Shiki eyeing the hulking Raikage carefully knowing he was prone to unpredictable outbursts and may have sent a fatal attack her way before she could dodge.

But strangely the Raikage did not burst, "Very well. This is not a time for me to be stingy. You have my word that Kumogakure will readily sponsor your endeavors in the future"

"Your magnanimity is unsurpassed Raikage-Dono, I am indebted to you" said Shiki now turning to the Mizukage across the table.

"Mizukage-Sama, being in command of all the islands of the Torigami Ocean and those surrounding Kirigakure I request free marine trade between my village and yours. Also in the past your predecessors had nearly looted the entire wealth of my nation through marine piracy I must also ask that your nation compensate this amount" said Shiki as Mei flushed.

"And what proof do you have that this accusation is valid?" she asked through clenched teeth.

Shiki held out her hand and Ken'ichi standing behind her placed an old, tattered diary on her hand.

"This is a diary kept by Hozuki Mizuko, who later married Terumi Houtaro, who was your great-grandfather I believe and also the Shodaime Mizukage. This diary was written during their courtship period and has a clear references to several instances when her husband-to-be returned home with ships full of riches and gold stolen from a country very far away. If you have the treasure she has written about analysed with those present in Tanigakure's past then you'll find they coincide and you know what that means don't you?" said Shiki contemptuously sliding the diary across the table.

Mei took the diary and sighed, "Very well, I shall have the contents of the diary analysed and should your claim prove accurate Kirigakure will compensate your ancestors' wealth to the best of our abilities"

"Thank you, that will be very kind of you" said Shiki finally turning to Onoki who gave her an uneasy look.

"Tsuchikage-Sama to you my request is simple. Please consent to sharing your vast reserves of coal, iron and gold deposits with Tanigakure. Three cartloads of each would be sufficient for us" said Shiki as Onoki sighed in relief, "Three cartloads of each every year? That's fine we'll..."

"Oh, no,no, You seem to have misunderstood. My fault really, I didn't elaborate. I meant three cartloads of each every month for an three years at least" said Shiki as Onoki's face turned red with rage.

"You...do you even know what you're asking? 36 cartloads of Iwa's precious mineral to be given to you every year with absolutely nothing in return? Morover you'll be receiving financial assistance from Kumo, free trade from Kiri and probably pots of gold and treasure too. Why would you want more?" cried Onoki.

Shiki's smile turned sour as her usually wide eyes narrowed down to mere slits, "I would have thought the winning of this war would have been beyond material values to you Tsuchikage-Sama. But it appears I was mistaken, if you are not willing to comply then..."

"No, wait. I'll comply" said Onoki avoiding the glares of Tsunade and A.

"You will? That's wonderful. I know it's hard to part with your wealth Tsuchikage but seeing the amount of damage nukenin from your country and caused in my village it seems a fair deal doesn't it?" said Shiki as Onoki grudgingly nodded.

"I thank you all for your generosity I would also like it if my requests were met, to the best of your abilities, before we commence the war. You see, I'd hate to even think about it but there's the teensy chance of someone not keeping their word and we wouldn't like that now would we?" asked Shiki.

_"Talk about milking a situation dry"_ thought Mifune staring at the young, silver haired woman who stood addressing the Kage,_ "She sees a situation where they cannot do without her and she's taking full advantage of it"_

"Very well" said the Raikage after exchanging brief nods with Tsunade, Onoki and Mei, "We will hand over what you desire as soon as possible"

"Well this is just dandy! I'm so grateful all of the Kage are such wonderful people. I am honoured to say it will be a pleasure now for Tanigakure to join forces with the Allied Forces and..."

"Just one minute" barked Onoki as Shiki turned to him, "What of the Kazekage? You had a demand from all of us then why not from him"

Shiki's eyes turned to Gaara who sat staring nonchalantly at her.

"Yes, the Kazekage. You see Tsuchikage-Sama, I do have some informants and I've been in constant contact with them ever since I got out. It appears Sunagakure's economic condition isn't much better than my own and frankly it would break my heart to see the Kazekage, who is already burdened with so much, to have to supply goods to me and my village. Perhaps Kazekage-San, sometime later Tanigakure will be happy to supply _you_ with some service should you require it?" said Shiki as Mei gasped and Tsunade's eyes widened at the very direct insult that Shiki had thrown to Gaara. Even A looked a little curious.

Gaara lifted his head from his hands and looked directly into Shiki's eyes, "That's very kind of you Aida-San but I think you'll find that Sunagakure is able to function well on its own. Of course without our co-operation Tanigakure's desert border would be completely closed off and that would be a poor situation for you wouldn't it? With your present shinobi force your village would have to bear the insult of being looted by criminal nations like Kusa and Oto...again"

Shiki's eyes narrowed in rage as she opened her mouth to speak, but Gaara beat her to it. "But of course. Right now you're safe aren't you? You don't have anything much to steal. " said Gaara a ghost of a smile appearing over his face.

Tsunade and Mei's shocked looks turned to suppressed smiles and Mifune chucked silently to himself.

"Yes...that's very clever of you" said Shiki her benign smile faded to a scowl and all frills and fancies lost from her voice as she glared daggers at the younger man and turned away unable to bear the insult he had just returned.

"I think we're done for today. Do you have anything more to add Shiki-Sama?" asked Mifune politely as the white haired woman shook her head curtly forgoing her usual 'thank you' and 'how kind'.

"Very well then, I declare today's meeting over. A list of today's proceeding will be written out and sent to each of you for references. If there's anything else we can do please let us know. We meet again tomorrow at the same time" said Mifune standing up and pushing back his chair.

As the Kage streamed out Gaara felt a pressure on his shoulder. Upon turning he saw Shiki standing with a hand on his shoulder.

"We had a nice witty banter going on today didn't we?" asked Shiki attempting to get the old amiable voice back but failing miserably.

"Did we? I was under the impression we were talking serious politics, but if it appeared humorous to you then it's evident that you've been out of contact with the world for too long" said Gaara taking her hand and pushing it away firmly.

"Yes of course. You'll excuse me if my sense of humour is different from yours. But not to worry Kazekage, I shall ensure you see things _my_ way very soon" said Shiki crossing the red-head and walking away with a swish of her long white braid.

Gaara stared after her for some time,_ "We'll see Aida Shiki. We'll see"_ he thought before walking away as well.

* * *

><p>Phew that was a tough chapter to write. Do review and tell me what you felt about it. I'm beginning work on the next chapter soon and hopefully it'll be out by next week!<p> 


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